I must thank Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for dismissing Singapore premier Goh Chok Tong's remarks about Malays in Malaysia (which the Singapore foreign office claimed he did not make) and stating that the marginalisation of Singapore Malays is internal to Singapore.

I think Malaysia at least is in keeping with the Asean principle of non-interference in domestic affairs of its members.

Goh's remarks, if I may say so, is a cheap shot at trying to pacify Singapore Malays. It is in the typical kiasu Singapore style of "Singapore is always better- lah ". It is really relative. Singapore is a city state, nothing more than a market, as diehard Marxists would have it. Other Asean heads of state have real countries to run.

Unfortunately, the marginalisation of Malays in Singapore is seldom heard. This is largely because Singapore as a matter of law (sedition and defamation suits by the state) prevents speech.

So Malay marginalisation, ISA or the total persecution by the state of the remarkable member of Parliament Joshua Benjamin Jeyaratnam would not get any real coverage at all. The state shall pronounce on these matters and the people would only discern the "truth" this way. All-hail-the-People's Action Party-state kind of thing.

The marginalisation of the voiceless is Singapore style- lah .