Based on the premise that all humans are created equal, it is unthinkable that anyone would want to believe that he has a right to be more equal than others as citizens of a country. Would the Malay accept to be less equal to the Chinese when he becomes a Singapore citizen?

Should he migrate to Australia would he accept an unequal status with regards to all the other citizens of that country?

In the first place this definition of people being Malay or whatever is arbitrary and even inherited from the Westerners. Why is it so difficult to claim to be a Malaysian?

Perhaps there is no real benefit to be derived from be Malaysian. There is more benefit to be derived from being Malay. Unfortunately this only holds good when you are in Malaysia. The moment you leave Malaysia being Malay is no more beneficial.

We hear that the basis for the claim to Ketuanan Melayu - which sounds more like a claim to ownership - is based on the premise that they were the original people. Well, if that is the case then how are they when compared to the indigenous people of this country? There are others who are more original than us.

But the more worrying case is that in East Malaysia there are indigenous people who are not Malays. They were invited, enticed to join the Malay states to become Malaysia. Would they have joined Malaysia if we had told them that we are practicing Malay supremacy?

My friends in East Malaysia are saying that this supremacy of the Malay race is going to lead to the breakup of the country. When affirmative policies were carried out, apparently it was only the Malays that benefitted. Of course, we now know that it was only some types of Malays even then.

External forces in the Philippines and Indonesia would be ready to exploit any cracks already open or likely to be become more obvious the louder we sing the Ketuanan Melayu song.

This bigotry has to stop now or be prepared to face a separatist movement from East Malaysia.

Consider this scenario carefully. Do we have the capacity to deal with external support from the Philippines in Sabah? What about a simultaneous thrust from an external source from across the borders in Kalimantan?

It is unthinkable now but just consider the situation of our northern neighbour. Given a situation where instability has arisen, is it not possible for them to find a quick solution to their southern problem by re-conquering all their territories lost to the British in 1909?

National unity and integration and a just policy for all citizens is a precondition for our long-term endurance as a nation. We were supposed to have started the process in 1957 but unfortunately the script had been re-written.

The constitution had been sacrificed to the shortsighted greed of opportunists. Now more than ever, we need to begin the process of reconciliation.

The people in Permatang Pauh have set this in motion.