In the last century (1997), American professor Samuel P Huntington's book The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order aroused considerable interest, curiosity and controversies.

No less among the critics were the chieftains of our 'think-tanks' who dismissed the book as an oversimplification and misrepresentation of the prevailing global politics. They proudly pointed out that Malaysia was a good example of a multi-racial nation living in peace and harmony.

Now that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has divined at the recent MCA annual general assembly that Chinese extremism will invoke Malay extremism, it is surprising that there has not been any whimper from any of the 'think-tanks' on the topic.

Could it be that we are not as confident and triumphant as we were in the last century (1997) to prove Samuel Huntington wrong or do we just lack the graciousness to give credit where it's due?