comment It is not only the weather but also our political climate that has gotten unbearably hazy. Youngsters who excel in their studies but have been deprived of opportunity might, rather worryingly, be misconstrued as questioning the sovereignty of the Yang diPertuan Agong and the Malay rulers.

Some 17-year-olds with outstanding examination results have asked why they failed to get a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship. Some 19-year-olds have asked why they were not admitted into the course of their choice in local public universities despite doing well.