I WOULD like to thank Lim Teck Ghee for his fresh perspective on Malay middle class being the foundation of Malay political dominance in “Malay middle class at a crossroads” (Another Take, Aug 19).
I always thought that the rural Malay votes were the ones that counted during general elections and hence, were the focus of political parties.
Being a beneficiary of the “artificial incubation of Malay middle class”, I would like to point out that stereotyping me as someone who is educated but still relying on handouts is unfair, just like other forms of “racial profiling”. For example, I work in the private sector and most of my children went to private universities.
Even more worrying, is Lim’s view that I have to choose between a multiracially-oriented government and a religious-centric socio-cultural order. Why can’t I have both?
His hypothesis suggests that both are incompatible but history has demonstrated that Islam successfully governed multiracial societies all over the world. Let us not allow a few bad apples to colour our opinion of what it has to offer as a socio-cultural system, lest we stand accused of “religious profiling”.
Mohd Shah Mohd Isa
Batu Caves
