Racial Intergration - Premature or Degeneration?
With reference to your comment that racial intergration in Malaysia is at a "premature state", I can't help but beg to differ. To evaluate the state of racial intergration, racial harmony etc in Malaysia, one must compare the past and present, the changes that occured, if any. In this respect, it is my personal view that racial intergration in Malaysia is actually degenerating, and NOT in a supposed PREMATURE state. Prior to May 13 1969, there were no so-called special priveleges of the Bumiputeras ("Princes Of The Soil"). There being no such injustice (the way i perceive it), there were no separate education system (the boarding schools or asrama school), no separate university entrance exam ( the STPM vs the Matriculation), no designated land for Muslims (Tanah Simpanan Melayu), no specially allocated Bumiputera shares (Amanah Saham Bummiputera), and no quota system. Prior to that, there was sufficient racial balance and representation at government bureaucracies, civil service and even in the armed forces - the army, the police and RELA. Malaysians, or whatever title they chose to christine themselves, could openly laugh at their own racial and ethnic idiosyncracies.

One must be more discerning when analysing the words of politicians, even and especially those from the top in UMNO, MCA, MIC.

Instead of creating a harmonious Malaysia where "every race and religion is free to practice their culture", the Malaysia of today is, in many ways, much less desirable than the Malay Federation of the past. The UMNO and Malay politicians would want ALL Malaysians to believe that the British's priniciple of "Divide and Rule" during colonial times was and is the CAUSE of any racial disunity. On closer scrutiny however, one can see that it is here today that we have labels of "Muslim and non-Muslim", "Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera". The UMNO-led government is in fact the major factor of inter-racial suspicion, inter-ethnic bitterness and obviously the reason for Islamic terrorism and extremism in today's Malaysia. Further discussion would not be possible here.

I urge the author to be more discerning and to exercise reasonable cynicism when dissecting the words of politicians. They are, after all, politicians.