Mark, in his letter Look again at the BBC's halo , takes issue with the BBC's independence. Yes, the government of the day appoints BBC governors and yes, the BBC has to negotiate periodically for the renewal of its licence fee.

However, its worth remembering that Britain is a functioning multi-party democracy. Governments change. That means that successive Labour and Conservative governments have appointed governors. To their credit, they haven't been so crass as to appoint only candidates that support their party. Indeed, under the British system of parliamentary scrutiny, it's almost impossible for any party to get away with making entirely partisan appointments.

Furthermore, there's a proper divide between the governors, or the BBC Trust as they became at the beginning of this year, and both the BBC and the government. It's all about having proper checks and balances. The Hutton report was a case in point.

If Mark is suggesting that a similar situation could have happened in Malaysia - that an RTM journalist could have made a damning remark about the government live on air, that RTM would have defended their correspondent to the hilt and that the whole issue would have ended up publicly debated with a respected judge appointed to lead an independent inquiry (suggestions for respected and independent Malaysian judges on a postcard please sent it to malaysiakini ) - then I'll have whatever Mark is smoking.

As for the licence fee, it's right and proper that it should be renegotiated. Licence fee payers deserve no less.

As for keeping anti-war voices off the BBC in the run up to Iraq - I remember working day in day out interviewing Malaysians of all shades for opinions about the impending conflict (though they were overwhelmingly anti-war it must be said) and putting them on the BBC. My colleagues the world over did the same thing.

Political pressure on the BBC comes from all parties - not just the government - and we are used to dealing with such pressure. It's part and parcel of British public life. But let me be clear about something - if a government minister, of any party, walked into any newsroom I was working in and tried telling me what to write, I would grab the so and so by the scruff of the neck and march him out of the building.

Thankfully, I can think of almost no British politician who'd be so stupid as to put themselves in that position not least because the British public would never tolerate it. I stand by the old adage that people get the politicians they deserve.

The writer is a BBC correspondent.