I refer to the letter Bumiputera-ism' and Islam Hadhari . Allow me to clarify and correct certain matters the writer raises.

The Orang Asli, namely the Negrito (Melanesians), the Senoi (a mix of Melanesians and those of Champa Malay stock from Vietnam and Cambodia), and Aboriginal Malays (Melayu Asli) are bumiputeras.

As for Malays of Peninsular Malaysia who have chosen to be non-Muslims, no records exist and the law is vague. And contrary to what Gopal claims, the Malays did not originate from Palembang and Sungai Musi in Sumatera.

They are descendants of the Aboriginal Malays who are the original inhabitants of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Singapore (an extension of the Malay Peninsular), Riau (also an extension of the Malay Peninsular), Pahang, Terengganu and the whole of Sumatera (yes, also an extension of the Malay Peninsular).

The Malays of Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Perak are descended from the Mandailings, an aboriginal people who were the earliest inhabitants of Sumatera and the north-west of the Malay Peninsula.

They used to be known as Bataks (the Acehnese are of Mandailing stock, likewise the other aborigines of Sumatra namely the Toba, Karo, Angkola, Timur, Dairi, Lampung, Gayo, Alas and Barat Islanders).

The Malays of Kelantan and Patani (Southern Thailand) are descended from the Champa Malays, the ancestors of the modern-day Vietnamese and Cambodians. The Senois are descended from the first wave of Champa Malays who intermarried with Negritos (Melanesians).

It is true that there are many Malays of the Malay Peninsula who are descended from the Malays who migrated from the kingdom of Minangkabau in Sumatra, but it is not fair to call them descendants of a foreign people, because Minangkabau was part of the Melaka empire.

Likewise with those Malays who are descended from the Malay peoples of Brunei (Kedayans), Sulawesi (Bugis) and Java (Javanese). They were all from the Selangor and Melaka empires.

The Ibans, Melanaus, Kayans, Kenyahs, Penans, Kelabits, Bidayuhs, Bruneians (Kedayans), Kadazans, Dusuns, Muruts, Bajaus and Sulus of East Malaysia are all bumiputeras under the law and it has never been the law that only Muslims are bumiputeras.

The concept of bumiputera or native refers to the inhabitants of a country who were living there before the coming of the Europeans (Western Europeans), the Chinese, the Caucasian (Aryans and Semites) and the Dravidian (Tamilian) peoples of West Asia and of the Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives).

The concept of 'Malay' used to refer to all indigenous peoples of Mongoloid stock living in the Malay sub-continent covering Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and East Timor.

When the British ruled Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, the concept of Malay was narrowed down to indigenous Muslims of Peninsular Malaysia who spoke Bahasa Melayu (now Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia), the official language of the Selangor and Melaka empires.

The people who have worn the Malay label on their shirts from Day One are the descendants of the Aboriginal Malays of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, who are mainly descendants from the Temuan (formerly Jakun) tribe.

They include the Malays of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, Singapore, Riau and Minangkabau in Sumatra (Minangkabau is very big, covering the modern-day provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Central Sumatra, Jambi and Bengkulu).