Dear PenyuMenagis (sic),

Assalamu'alaikum.

1. Your life makes interesting reading and so is your outlook on life. Long ago many poor Chinese gave their children to Malay families, which is why we often see many Malays who look like Chinese.

2. My son married a Chinese. The children are well-behaved and smart. They pray and read the Quran. The mother is very particular regarding their good upbringing.

3. You need not feel insulted being called Si Hitam (black). It is, or was common practice among Malays to give nicknames which seem to be opposite of the appearance of a person. We have many village girls in Kedah nicknamed "Udoh" (from "hodoh" or ugly). They believe that evil spirits would be cheated and leave the pretty one alone.

4. You said that the New Economic Policy will enrich further certain rich Malays. What really happens is that the help and opportunities were given to those able to benefit from them, whether they were rich or poor. When the rich failed no one would take notice. On the other hand any Malay who succeeded was assumed to be from a rich family eventhough he was not. Worse still he would be regarded as a crony of the Prime Minister.

5. If those who succeed were all from rich families then there must have been a lot of rich Malays before the New Economic Policy. But we know there were only a handful of rich Malays before the NEP. Had there been, there would not have been the anger which led to the May 13, 1969 incident.

6. The only way to satisfy the critics is to ensure that no Malay be allowed to become rich. If we do that then the disparity between Malays and non-Malays would remain or get worse. If that happens then the anger and bitterness of the Malays would render this country unstable.

7. I agree with you that intermarriage would help. But few Chinese would accept conversion. But the Malays will insist on this.

Chedet.