As a Malaysian, I am ashamed and appalled at the behaviour of Ahmad Ismail. As a party leader, he should be upholding good values in a multiethnic society rather than blurting out racist remarks against the Chinese.

He should permanently step down from politics and issue a public apology to the Chinese community. He is a threat to our society and we do not need men like him. I will not condone this attitude nor will I tolerate my future generations thinking it is acceptable to belittle someone just because they are not Malays.

After reading all the comments regarding this issue, I cannot help but wholly agree with the writers that everyone in Malaysia is a ‘pendatang’. Moreover, Malaysia is not owned by one ethnic group but by many.

Ahmad should have thought wisely before opening his mouth and making such derogatory comments, as he himself is a ‘pendatang’ like everyone else. How would he feel if somebody told him to go back to where his ancestors came from?

He can throw a hissy fit all he likes but he will know how it feels to be in the shoes of someone who has to face a racist remark. It is like a slap to the face. Why do we still subscribe to racism when this world is becoming more globalised and diverse? Racism has no place in any society and must be wiped out, the sooner the better.

And so, the famous U2 song, ‘The Hands that Built America’ would also be very relevant in Malaysia because we all agree that the country was built by many hands, including the Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli, Malays, Eurasians and many other ethnic groups.

Without the hard work from all these people, would our dear Malaysia be standing tall with its head held up high? Let us all do away with racism and make a stand against this racist lot of people and their racist mentality.

Regardless of whether or not we are ‘pendatang’, we are all here to stay, stand our ground and no one has the right to tell us to go back to where they think we belong. Malaysians do not condone such backward behaviour and its other ugly cousin called race superiority as well.