With reference to A Malaysian's letter ([#1]Down with whiners, ingrates[/#], Nov 22), surprisingly enough, I do not think our present government to be the scum of the earth. What I do think, though, is that ours is a system that has many flaws.

This, in itself, is not that big a surprise - after all, as you yourself pointed out, no system is perfect. However, what I, and I believe many others who bother to write in here, take issue with is the fact that we the rakyat not only have little control over this system, but are also almost disallowed from expressing our dissatisfactions with it.

I am not too sure about yourself, but as it happens, I care more than just whether I can feed myself. You pointed out that we should, amongst others, "feel safe in our surroundings before we even begin to pretend that these concepts, once adopted, will grant us automatic nirvana".

Tell that to the woman who was allegedly forced to strip in front of police officers.

My dear fellow citizen; freedom, justice and every other altruistic theoretical concept that you seem to sneer goes hand in hand with feeding oneself and making one feel safe in one's surroundings.

Perhaps you think that young woman deserved what she got because, after all, she was part of the reformasi rabble? I don't think so.

In fact, I would find it much easier to feed myself (and my children), and make ourselves safe if I knew that there were checks in place to ensure those in power did not abuse their power. And this is where all those altruistic theoretical concepts come in.

You're probably quite right in saying we are the envy of the Third World with our economic successes and social integration. But our social integration comes with a price attached. I am a Malay, and I would love to see the day when all of us are treated equally.

I would love to see the day when we no longer have racial quotas. a day when my non-Malay friends have an equal opportunity to compete for scholarships and jobs. I would certainly love to see the day when we can do without the NEP.

But I do not think I will see such a day in my lifetime (and I'm only in my twenties) because we are not mature enough to permit such a day to come. The NEP was probably the right action to take when it came about, but like the National Health Service in Britain, it needs at the very least, a re-think.

Sadly, that is not going to happen because our system and its guardians will not allow any dissent or debate on this matter.

You say the largest democracy is also one of the most troubled societies in the world. If you're referring to India (and I assume you are since it is the world's largest democracy), well what would be the alternative?

Perhaps the Raj should be re-instated. India has a myriad of problems (e.g. its poverty level, the caste system, over-population), and not all of them have to do with democracy.

Next, Singapore. Yes, it has done very well for itself. But please remember that Singapore is a relatively small country, and its population is almost homogeneous.

Also, try to remember that the PAP controls virtually everything in Singapore. Perhaps you did not realise it, but we are different. Our political system has always been different from theirs, simply because we have PAS and DAP.

Whether they're effective is arguable, but the fact that they have continued their existence for a long, long time shows that there are people who support them.

And that makes us different from Singapore - it means we have a sizeable political minority, and therefore we simply cannot use strong-arm tactics to silence or neuter them.

Unless, of course, we want to go back to the days when any opposition must and could be silenced in any way. Personally, I think the world has moved on from those days.

It is not that I condemn the government. It is not about thinking our government is the scum of the earth. However, it is about holding our government accountable for its actions. It is about ensuring every voice is heard.

Democracy, my dear Malaysian, is more than merely putting an X next to someone's name every four or five years. Please allow me to share with you my ideas of what democracy is:

1. Ensuring everyone, regardless of sex, religion and race, has a voice, and that that voice is not squashed or disallowed from speaking.

2. Ensuring a fair and unbiased judiciary.

3. A Parliament that debates issues honestly, not one that mocks Opposition leaders whenever they ask a question.

4. A police force (and army, for that matter) that recognises that it is there to serve the rakyat ' not the government of the day.

5. A free press, that is, one that keeps a check on the activities of the government and is allowed to print and publish material that may or may not favour the government.

6. The right for peaceful assembly. So many people in our country see demonstrations as evil. Why? It is, as pointed out by many, a right enshrined in our own Constitution.

I have witnessed a demonstration involving up to 250,000 people in London, and a demonstration against police brutality in New York. In none of these was anyone injured. The police, funnily enough, were there to protect the demonstrators, not engage them in battle.

Until our government restores these rights to us, I remain, in your words, a whiner and an ingrate. Though I actually prefer to think of it as loving my country and wanting what's best for it.

Farah Fahmy