In regard to 'American kettle not as black as our pot, (Aug 10)' by Dr Stefen Tan, I agree that America treats her citizens better than Malaysia treats hers, but that leaves one small problem. The problem I have had with John Malott's letter from the onset.

Dr J W Smith, Director of Research of the California-based Institute for Economic Democracy observes that since WWII, the West, especially the US, has been "responsible for violently killing 12 to 15 million people and causing the death of hundreds of millions more as their economies were destroyed or those countries were denied the right to restructure to care for their people.

He adds that, "One hundred and fifty thousand to 300,000 of these people were tortured and killed by death squads set up by Western intelligence agencies, primarily the CIA."

Even as you read this article, the sanctions in Iraq, a policy directly instituted by the US of A is responsible for many children dying from malnutrition.

This is the problem, the fact that the US has a certain policy towards Americans and a totally different policy towards Non-Americans and other countries.

And that non-Americans are treated as dirt, to be swept away like rubbish, and their culture and views ignored, if that would further American interests.

As Mark Twain writes "... in many countries we have burned the savage at the stake ... we have hunted the savage and his little children and their mother with dogs and guns ... in many countries we have taken the savage's land from him, and made him our slave ..."There are many humorous things in the world; among them the white man's notion that he is less savage than other savages."

Thus, it grieves me that Mr John Malott would give such a comment, as his government's policy toward the poor and disenfranchised of the world is abysmal to say the least.

Malaysians can take care of themselves. We can bring about changes ourselves with the help of God.

We do not need American input, because we know exactly what that means, it means, as Donald Rumsfeld put it 'to protect American interests'.

However it is not fair to say that Americans are a bunch of bad people, nor should we make such a conclusion. We should take sincere advice from sincere people, and that includes several Americans like Dr J W Smith or Noam Chomsky.

Malaysia needs change, we need justice; not speeches and political rhetoric.