In the past, Malaysia was best known for her tolerance, fair play, racial and communal harmony, and respect of all places of worship and religions.

Our civil service reflected the racial diversity, working in uniformity and harmony with a common goal.

Our national sports teams and their management truly reflected the racial composition of the country.

Men and women selected on merit to represent the country were true sportsmen and sportswomen who sacrificed greatly for the nation, receiving no million ringgit in cash, sponsorships, land and titles.

One needs to only ask, whether all this has been changing and whether 'present trends' if not addressed and arrested will create social, religious and community disorder in the near future.

I wonder if our political intelligentsia and advisers to the government are really monitoring grassroots sentiments, and emerging from the present 'tunnel vision policy changers' and other processes that make a complete mockery of the sacrifices of our founding fathers, politicians, governments and community leaders of the past 44 years?

Let us just look at just three recent issues that have taken Malaysians by storm and made a mockery of the government, policy making bodies and systems resulting in the 'integrity of the nation' now being questioned.

It started off with the rather controversial decision to demolish more than 30 temples in Selangor. However, when it resulted in public outcry and screams of foul-play, those behind the move retreated in shame. But not without putting various communities on notice that there are today those in the civil service and political seats who have their own 'political agenda and image' of the Malaysia of the future which differs in totality and substance from that of the Malaysian cabinet and Barisan Nasional government.

Hardly had weeks past, when another rather odd and controversial decision came out of Perak, the state known for producing some of our greatest politicians, members of the judiciary, statesmen, sportsmen and women and community leaders.

I am, of course referring to the arbitrary renaming of Jalan Koo Chong Kong to Jalan Tabung Haji by the Ipoh City Council without displaying any sensitiveness or duty of care to the community.

Several years ago the same happened in Malacca when Jalan Tan Chay Yan was renamed Jalan Graha Maju. There are also cases of pressure exerted on mission schools to rename.

The matter clearly denotes the presence of 'insensitive and extremists elements' in present policy making institutions and bodies who have scant knowledge of Malaysian history or let alone those who had sacrificed life and limb so that we have what we have today!

This move is not only insensitive to history but also tantamount to adding insult to injury to those who have sacrificed for nation building - they were not a 'subsidy community' or those who used 'political lobby' to amass million ringgit projects and wealth.

Perhaps, our beloved Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad needs to remind those in pursuant of high political office in the future and others in important decision and public policy-making positions to be mindful of history and to be sensitive to public feelings and the communal composition of modern Malaysia.

Some of those in political office, and senior positions in the civil and diplomatic services today need to be reminded that there is a legacy behind several of these road names. And we truly need to pass on to our future generations the information about various contributions by individuals and communities that gave Malaysia 'peace and stability'.

Finally, the news that gave new dimension and scope to the word Malaysia Boleh and confirmed various allegations from 1990 that all 'was not well' in the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) Examinations held by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board.

From as early as 1990, foreign law graduates were ridiculed and foreign universities termed as 'law degree factories' and in comparison the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP), which was introduced as an 'orientation course' for foreign law graduates, was the 'true standard of excellence'. All this despite the claims and allegations of 'leaks and marks tampering' that emerged, yearly.

Today, despite the CLP fiasco of confirmed exam leaks and marks tampering, and embarrassment caused to the nation's institutions of education, neither CLP examinations director Khalid Yusof nor any member of the Legal Profession Qualifying Board has resigned nor accepted responsibility for the foul up.

The present disclosure not only raises several pertinent questions on the future of the CLP, on those entrusted to run and monitor it, but also, whether such practices are prevalent in other local institutions of higher learning, as part and parcel of 'social engineering'.

One cannot but wonder, what our founding fathers and other who have sacrificed for the country would say to us about 'these and other continued fiascos' that make a mockery of their selfless sacrifice for the nation.