I refer to Rose's letter outlining her reasons why she felt Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (TDM) gave us so much - in particular what she equated to as dignity.

I am now 50 years old. My family home was mortgaged and my father took an education loan to fund my studies. An accomplished philatelist, he also had to sell part of his collection towards this. Upon returning 'home' in 1980, I immediately had a managerial job but still had to lecture some nights to repay all the loans. It took me six years to be debt free only to get married and back in debt to buy my home.

I am not a bumiputera as defined though I am the third-generation of my family from the time my grandparents came here. I believe I have a tremendous sense of dignity but TDM, sadly played no part in giving it to me. Why?

Firstly, I was educated under the old English medium when our teachers were professionals and our schools superbly administered. They were not closed for one community only. My friends from my schooldays are still my friends and we were of all the races. Who changed this?

Universiti Malaya was a beacon for educational excellence. The closest I could ever get was to practise my tennis there and play hockey and football. (I represented the state in hockey and tennis). Today, I have to find a way to educate my son overseas but for a different reason - I would not want him in UM even if he qualified to get in. Who changed this?

Financially, my son will have to be educated by me solely - forget the mirage of scholarships - from my salaried income. The tax I pay to the government is more than enough to sustain a child overseas. Tomorrow, I will repeat the process for my equally-gifted daughter as well. Yes, I have dignity, but no, TDM played no part in imparting it. Who will help me?

At work, I am confronted daily with issues about 'coffee money' from almost every government department I deal with. Sometimes the 'coffee money' is enough to buy a coffee plantation. The cars I buy at hugely inflated prices (compared to the same cars in many other countries) help feed a parasite called 'Proton'. Maybe some people drive one with dignity?

Our sportsmen who participate in events bankrolled by the government perform pathetically. Is this dignity? The sportsmen who generally fund themselves in sports which previously had little glamour or status achieve championship status. They are the one who have dignity.

And what about our parliamentarians - are they dignified?

We are like frogs in water. Water that is slowly being heated up. Spend some time in the hospitals, immigration departments, local authority departments, educational establishments, sports arenas and maybe even the courts, and you will see how TDM has contributed to our 'dignity'.