I would like to respond to SS's letter on Australia. While Michael's view on Australia may not be accurate, neither is SS's.

I would like to point out that, while racism exists to an extent in every country even in Australia, it is - unlike Malaysia - not legalised into the system. Not all 'white' Australians agree to the treatment of the Aboriginals and there is a movement to gather a national apology for their mistreatment.

SS mentions paying university fees. Australian citizens and permanent residents pay meagre sums for university compared to other countries. And it is all based on merit. Why should anyone see anything wrong in that? One doesn't have to be Malay, Chinese, Indian or lain-lain to attend university there.

Let's talk about employment. First of all, no one here has to give an identity card number or their race and religion whilst seeking employment. This happens only in Malaysia. Why employers gather this information is beyond me.

Some employment practices in Malaysia by local and multinational companies are highly unethical but no one questions them. Yet SS can actually turn around and talk about Australia where people are judged on the intelligence and ability?

I myself am a highly paid consultant with my own company. However, in all my years of working in Australia, I have yet to see one incident in which I was treated differently because I am Asian. In fact, I believe that it is Asians who tend to choose on race rather than merit.

Australian medical doctors are among the best in the world unlike the doctors churned out by Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. I admit the medical system in Australia could do with a fix but which system is perfect? Has SS forgotten to look at Malaysian hospitals lately? If I have to pay one percent of my salary for good health care, why not?

Australia is a different country from Malaysia, so definitely their social welfare system would be different from Malaysia. What is wrong in having a system that supports the aged and unemployed? As in any system, it is prone to abuse.

We Malaysians know of this as it happens daily in our country. Why look so far when our own backyard is dirty? Malaysian politicians have been abusing the system for decades. The poor are still poor while the rich get richer on government-awarded billion-dollar contracts. And all SS can complain about is the Australian welfare system?

All companies in Australia subscribe to EEO, or Equal Employment Opportunity. This is very heavily emphasised in the Australian government and private sectors. I am not sure if SS has worked there at all. If people are not treated equally in Australia, we can take them to the courts. Can I do this in Malaysia? I think not!

At the end of the day, however Australia is perceived, one thing is for sure. In terms of race relationship, it is better being a first-class permanent resident in Australia than a second-class citizen in Malaysia. For people like SS, I would say it's a case of sour grapes.