I would like to respond to the letter by Mohd Asham Ahmad Ask the right question. I could not disagree more with you on the subject of your letter. You begin by asking the right question but your reasoning couldn't be far off the mark akin to hitting the corner flag from the penalty spot.

You wrote: 'They must ask first of all ask how did the Malays get the privilege. The answer is by agreeing to give non-Malays citizenship (and of course the 'rights' that come with it). Malay leaders agreed to give non-Malays citizenship and in return the Malays would be granted special privileges; and with that agreement we have got our independence.

By asking this question we would realise that our leaders have made a contract. Based on this contract, the next generation of non-Malays got Malaysian citizenships as their birthright and the for the Malays the special privileges continued.'

Here your assumption that every successive generation of non-Malays are automatically non-citizens unless covered by the contract is both flawed and bordering on the ludicrous. Am I supposed to tell my son (a third generation) that he is not a Malaysian but actually a Chinaman underneath of it all?

What if he decided to reject the social contract? Would he be deported back to China as an unwanted alien? No wonder the non-Malays are still treated as immigrants whereas our neighbouring Muslims can be accorded this special rights straight away.

For your information, this so-called 'Special Position' was only meant to last for 15 years post- independence as drafted by the Reid Commission. However, Umno, fearing of losing their grip on power grip after the May 13th riots, begin to play this trump card to racially divide the nation and in the process leading to the present day racial malaise.

They harped on the Ketuanan Melayu issue to the hilt and perverted the original meaning of the document. Now, it is called 'special rights.'

It is about time we Malaysians review the impact of these rights in the cold, hard light of globalisation. These rights are like a millstone hanging around our neck as we move into the globalised world. Unless we change our mind set, we will never be able to compete with the rest of the world.

You further wrote: 'Do we really want to do that and destroy what we have built together? If the answer is 'no', we must stop questioning the contract.'

We are not questioning the contract out of any wanton desire to sabotage any particular race but rather for the betterment of the nation as a whole. Times have changed and will not wait for no one.

According to Darwin, it is the survival of the fittest out there in the global jungle. Unless we can change quickly in time we will be swallowed by a fitter opponent. Can't you see that we will all die or survive as Malaysians - not as Malays, Chinese or Tamils? If Malaysia fails collectively, will these special rights be a source of comfort or a hollow victory?

No, Mohd Asam Ahmad, we do not want to question your special rights. You can keep it for however long you may want it for but we mustn't keep quiet when we see our beloved Malaysia dying a slow painful, death in the global arena.

We care for Malaysia, but do you?