2. If we study other nations where people of different ethnic groups have immigrated, we will find that integration and unity depended on several important factors. Firstly the indigenous people or the people who had set up the country make up at least initially, a very big proportion of the population. Additionally they would be dominant and materially successful. The small numbers of immigrants trickling in found it judicious and beneficial to be identified with the numerically superior and powerful dominant inhabitants. They would willingly forget their original languages and adopt the language of the people of the country as well as their culture; they would intermarry and over time they would be totally absorbed and assimilated and identified with the indigenous people. In such a situation unity is not a problem. The United States is one such country where the original language and basic culture of first settlers are accepted by later immigrants.

3. In the old days before the coming of the Europeans the few Chinese and Indians who settled in Malacca adopted the language and much of the culture of the Malays. Though there was no assimilation nevertheless good relations existed between the immigrant settlers and the Malays. Unfortunately when later the China-born Chinese-speaking immigrants dominated in numbers as well as economic wealth, the Malay speaking Baba and Nyonya deliberately dropped their Malay language and Baba culture and reverted to being Chinese in every way possible.

1. There is a tendency these days to condemn the National Front as being effete and an obstacle to the modern concepts of a free democratic Government. The miserable performance of the Barisan Nasional in the March elections is attributed by foreign observers as evidence of a wind of change, as a rejection of race-based politics of the past.

2. They believe that the Malay, Chinese and Indian voters voted for a change to a more liberal regime.

3. I have explained in a previous article that the debacle suffered by the Barisan Nasional was due to the voters’ disgust with the leadership of Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

1. There are only 365 days in a year. Take away 104 days of Saturdays and Sundays weekends and we have left 261 working days. But Malaysia is multi-religious and we must not work during Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali. But we must also not work on Wesak Day, Taipusam, Christmas, New Year, Federal Territory Day, various Muslim holy days and I do not know what else.

2. But we must not work on by-election polling day also. Then there is the Agong’s Birthday and the birthdays of all the Sultans and Governors.

3. We seem to find more reason for not working. If the holiday falls on a weekend, then have a long vacation beginning the day before Saturday and the day after Sunday – four days in all.

1. Baru-baru ini Kerajaan dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri serta Menteri-Menteri sibuk memohon maaf kepada orang Cina dan India kerana apa yang dikatakan kata-kata yang dianggap sebagai terlalu perkauman (racist) yang telah disebut oleh beberapa pemimpin Melayu.

2. Sebenarnya orang Melayu sekarang amat takut jika mereka diberi label “racist”. Mereka menulis dalam akhbar yang orang Melayu bukan racist. Demikianlah ketakutan mereka sehingga apabila hak mereka di buruk-burukan dan diserang, mereka tidak berani mempertahankan diri mereka.

3. Malang bagi TPM dan Kerajaan Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi setelah memohon maaf secara terbuka permohonan maaf daripada pemimpin tertinggi Umno ditolak oleh pemimpin-pemimpin kaum berkenaan. Mereka menuntut supaya orang yang perkatakan perkataan yang dilabel “racist” sendiri memohon maaf.