I refer to the letter by Dr G Walter entitled Beyond meritocracy, bumi-bashing. I feel compelled to address some of the issues raised by Walter with regard to perceived bumiputera bashing in malaysiakini, particularly from letters emanating from SK Wong and David Lim.

Walter is correct to assert that some comments that we all take so lightly may be hurtful and insensitive to those on the margins of this 'cold capitalistic society' to use his words.

Coming from Georgetown, Penang and from one of the oldest English schools in the nation, I dare say that I had a rather privileged urban education. These were advantages that gave me a leg up in my local university education and later, in the procurement of competitive overseas scholarships.

Sometimes we are blind to these advantages due to our own comfortable situation. Growing up in Penang did not help matters. One can either see the island as a bastion of multi-culturalism or racial bigotry.

Luckily, I grew up and was educated in a family that had genuine multi-racial and multi-religious links. Studying Islamic history and Malay literature also helped bridge the religious and cultural divides.

Having said all that, I will now address the letters from Wong and Lim. I think what Walter fails to see is that Wong and Lim are not targeting the less privileged. The NEP and NDP policies should ideally be race blind.

It should also not privilege a Muslim over a non-Muslim. Ideally speaking, we should be helping everyone who is less privileged regardless of racial or religious background.

Some students felt that they were not given places in the university. In my time, there were much fewer public universities, examinations were definitely harder, and there were fewer private colleges.

There are some in my generation (people in their 30s), who could have easily secured a tertiary education today but were denied places then. What I am trying to say is that parents must wake up to the reality that Malaysians have never had it so good as they have today and that things will get better.

It is about time that we pull our socks up and make the best of what we get.

I have absolutely no grouses about my university education. It was not the best in the world but at least I learned enough to be able to enter good universities in the United States and later, in the United Kingdom. One just has to make the best of what one gets even if it is not the course of one's choice.

Walter has done equally well. He should emulate the self-help organisations that the early Chinese immigrants set up to help themselves in a cold, colonial environment. The Chinese town halls, dialect-group associations and clan houses were all established to provide welfare services to the Chinese.

Perhaps bumiputeras should also set up self-help organisations instead of thinking that government help is enough. These are small steps that we can all do to help each other. To that end, TV3 and NTV7 should be applauded for their welfare and self-help programmes.

We should also realise that the one reason why these organisations have persisted beyond the colonial period is the Chinese community's insecurity with regard to their place in the nation.

They do not feel that they would receive equal treatment even in welfare provision. Yes, some of these guilds are networking places for business and yes, the stereotypes persist with regard to employment policies. But I am an eternal optimist, and believe that we are moving in the correct direction when we start to question, debate, refute and refine our social situation.

Undoing the race-based affirmative action will be a Herculean task, requiring maturity and perhaps, a genuine need to share. It is always easier to blame each other or to perceive criticism as bashing. On the other hand, the more privileged must also realise that those who feel left out feel a need to defend whatever advantage they have.

I am sure the new Malaysian cabinet is aware about the dissatisfaction we all share as Malaysians. Whether they will take concrete steps to address the imbalance is another matter for while I am optimistic about the people of Malaysia, I have very little faith in politicians.