Much has been said and cursed about Suqiu. But less have been said about the content of Suqiu. Worse, most have misunderstood it.

First of all, Suqiu's motive has been interpreted wrongly. Suqiu means "appeals", not "demands". But the media chose to sensationalise the motive by saying it was a demand.

Secondly, Suqiu's 17-point appeal did not question Malay rights as inscribed in the constitution. It merely appealed that special administrative preferential treatments and privileges be reconsidered or removed for the betterment of the whole nation. For example, quotas and discounts. These are not the special rights stated in the constitution but merely administrative affirmative action stemming from the NEP in 1970.

Thirdly, the real abuser of Malay special rights is the BN government or, more specifically, Umno. The Umno government stopped scholarships for Malays during the recession in 1997 and 1998. Reserve land was taken away on the pretext of development by the Umno government. The sultans' powers were curbed - another Malay right abused.

Clearly, Suqiu and the Vision School issue were made the scapegoats to mask the real culprit who's abusing Malay special rights. All media should analyse the real issue at hand carefully, responsibly and professionally. Unfortunately, most mainstream media are controlled by the government.

Luckily, we still have this thing called the Internet.