We have seen quite an uproar from readers who show ambivalence toward the controversial book, The Tunku Tapes. I just feel the urge to take part in this discourse because I believe our country should not be further divided by such a sinister proposition that a person's ethnicity leads one to have an inferior personality.

This is nothing more than a further reaffirmation of the rejected book written about the inferiority of blacks compared to white. What is the point of attacking the background of anybody if all human beings come from Adam?

There is no empirical evidence that posits one's ability is a result of one's ethnicity. This is why scholars critically argue against Protestant ethics and Confucian ethics as the cause of economic development in Western European and Asian countries.

More importantly, in light of a series of events that further pull our society apart, we should instead focus our energy and discourse on how to maintain and preserve democratic ideals such as liberty, equality, and fraternity, regardless of who we are and what colour is our skin.