All this while I was under the impression that the special provisions were codified into our constitution in order to help the Malays and other indigenous people to realise their own moral worth - their dignity. But, after 30 years, I am now hearing about some social contract and a deal.

Famaliza said she was worried that some day the Malay people of Malaysia, too, would vanish like the Amerindians ( [#1]Malays have a long way to go[/#] , Dec 19). I am surprised by her analogy. If there were any people in Malaysia who could resort to such forms of arguments, it is those indigenous people whose culture we've obliterated by "civilising" them.

Our constitution is very clear about few things. The framers never intended to institutionalise unfair racial discrimination (see constitution, quotas and special rights). As citizens of Malaysia we are all equal in rights and in dignity. These days, the "special rights" have become part of our culture - a central concept around which everything else revolves.

However, if we were to refer to the [#2]constitution[/#] , we'd find the special provisions added - almost as an afterthought - under a section titled "general and miscellaneous." If it was indeed intended to be some form of social contract, wouldn't it be given much more prominence?

I am not arguing for the abolishment of all special provisions; nor am I saying that we should institute absolute meritocracy (as practised in Singapore, for instance).

However, owing to certain accidents of nature, and the structural constraints created by human beings, a simple equality of opportunity alone is not sufficient. Since we recognise that each individual is unique, and special, we want the equal opportunity to be a fair one too; every single individual, by virtue of being a citizen of Malaysia, should have a fair chance to make avail of the equal opportunity that are extant. In that regard, a primitive concept like race is but peripheral. An individual should be viewed in his or her whole diversity.

However, even if our rational mind tells us to unite and strive for the betterment of Malaysia, there are still many who would continue leading their sad existence as racists.