I refer to the letter Allah term unique, exclusive .

From the letter it is evident that West Malaysians are ignorant of the cultural and religious norms of those in Sabah and Sarawak.

When the National Registration Department (NRD) appointed a new director for its branch in

Sabah in 2006, he said in the press that he was surprised by the fact that Christians in the state also used the word ‘bin’ and ‘binti’.

For such a statement to come from someone with a high-ranking post in the government shows that this ignorance is not only prevalent among the West Malaysian masses but also among those holding important positions in the government.

This scenario is very regrettable. After claiming to be 50 years old, such ignorance is still widespread among many West Malaysians, and what is even more regrettable is that our lawmakers, especially those from West Malaysia, play into the hands of this ignorance.

There was also a a report on TV3 early last year of a Sarawakian working in West Malaysia who claims the NRD refused to recognise her marriage certificate which was issued by the Sarawak Natives Court as they had never seen such a certificate before!

West Malaysians should learn more about Sabahans and Sarawakians. Not only should they learn more about us here, but they should also learn to accept our differences. Sabahans and Sarawakians seem to know more about West Malaysians than the other way around.