Rosli Omar's 'Oh, the naivete, Mr Malott' (Aug 7) and Sharaad Kuttan's 'Government's chief propagandist abroad' (Aug 3) have taken John R Malott ('Bravo, Marie!' Aug 2) to task over his recent views. But what these critics wrote smack of "mahathirism" at its finest.

In other words, when people start noticing the pot is black, the pot points to the kettle and says, "why, the kettle is the one that is black!" It's no use singling out Mr Malott for propagandising. Propaganda abounds and his critics are either victims or purveyors of it!

Jimmy Wong's 'Throwing out the baby with the bath water' (Aug 9) is far more balanced. In the matter of democracy and human rights, the American kettle may be grey but it is certainly not as black as our own pot. Americans treasure free expression much more than we do.

For example, when I was a student in the U.S. during the Vietnam War era, I wrote letters to my campus paper condemning the U.S. role in the war. They were published uncensored. Two of my professors even congratulated me for writing boldly while those who disagreed never disputed my right to free expression.

Although I was a guest of Uncle Sam (American taxpayers provided the scholarship I couldn't obtain from my own country), no one hinted that I should be deported or put behind bars. They didn't even take away my fellowship or decide not to renew it.

What would happen to one's letter if one wrote to our local print media opposing government policies like the ISA? Or if one is a university student voicing such opposition? The answers are so obvious that it is unnecessary to mention them. As regards to democracy and human rights issues there is a world of difference between the Malaysian experience and the American experience.

Noam Chomsky is a long-standing critic of the American establishment and his views are music to many a liberal-minded university student. I was one of them. I still find his views insightful but let's not paint the world only in hues of black and white. There is some kind of social contract between most Americans and the state that inclines the citizenry towards tolerating some of the ugly practices of big business to a certain extent. We ourselves seem to have a social contract with our own government where our responses to the wielding of the big stick is muted.

The American state is far from ideal but let's learn the best from the West and not the worst. Instead of using its occasional denial of human rights, sporadic racism, etc. as an excuse for us not to clean up our own house, we should focus on what we can do for ourselves. And there is plenty to do.

For example, when I was an undergraduate at our local university in the1960s we were much less conscious of race; we intermingled freely. We have lost that and until we realise we are all members of the family of God (or the family of man, if you will) we will always be handicapped in the global arena (and an abomination to God). Even the 'reformasi' movement cannot afford to shy away from this. Let's learn the best from each of us, no matter from which nationality or which race. Banish xenophobia; banish racial chauvinism! As they say, the greatest thing to fear is fear itself.