Lim Kit Siang is right to say Dr Mahathir Mohamad's opening speech at the Umno general assembly is vintage him in denial. How unfair to say that "many Malay children are lazy and uninterested in studying".

An explanation for the comparatively lower success rate of Malay children in universities, as many have already pointed out, is very likely the fact that comparatively more of them live in rural areas that have not received the development and funding to give them the facilities and teachers that would enable them to compete with their urban peers.

They are similarly disadvantaged if they come from comparatively poorer households that cannot afford to give them the luxury of free time to study.

Maybe Dr M should consider that the next time he arranges a bailout for another fat cat crony. What use is Bakun Dam when so many rural schools in Sarawak do not even have proper running water and electricity?

What is the point of bumiputras owning 30 percent of the economy, if that share of the 30 percent is owned by a mega-rich five percent or less, and about half are still living in poverty and do not have access to opportunities for advancement?

What does he expect to achieve in ranting about the comparative lack of Malay children's educational achievements, when he had the money to do something about it, but gave it to those who needed it least?

Laziness may or may not be to blame for Malay children's comparatively lower achievements, but Dr M definitely is.