I absolutely agree with Malay Muslim (Insignificant and incompetent Umno, Jan 30) that it is the Malay in Umno who are incompetent and ungrateful. I know my buddies and I have been working, struggling and competing very hard to show that we are just as capable and competent as the other races.

We want to prove that it is not the Malay quota that has forced the company to employ us and we grab every opportunity to contribute as best as we can to fulfil our obligations to our employer.

When I read Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamads recent statement in the newspaper denigrating the Malay Malaysians, I was angry and mad. What he said is totally unjustified. Perhaps he based it on what he sees in Umno. Has he forgotten the real world where my buddies and I live and work?

It is the Umno politicians who are giving Malay Malaysians a bad name. The party created and groomed the pampered class of Malay entrepreneurs, many of whom would have been declared bankrupts if not for the massive bailouts at state expense now being doled out to save their hide.

The PM's statement is a total insult to me and other Malays who have never felt that the world owed us a living. I am very surprised that not even one Umno member (forget the leaders) have come forward to defend the honour of their own race. I am very disappointed.

The generalisation that Malay Malaysians are useless has done us a great injustice. There is a better way for the PM to convey his message to the select few who were abusing their power. An apology is due to the guiltless Malays.