While Lee's remarks will not make us any poorer, the haze problem will cost us millions of ringgit, says a reader.
On Air quality readings at 'unhealthy' level
The Voters: Instead of asking Lee Kuan Yew to apologise for his remarks, I think Malaysians should demand an apology from the Indonesian government. In fact, I would love to join Umno Youth to protest in front of the Indonesian embassy.
Lee's remarks will not cause any health or mental problem. Indeed, it will be forgotten if this is not raised again and again by Umno politicians. But the haze is visiting us each year without fail.
Every year, this haze problem forced us to breath polluted air, and yet not even once we see Umno politicians, or even PAS politicians, protest at the Indonesian embassy. Is our health problems less important than Lee's remarks?
While Lee's remarks will not result in us losing even a single cent, the haze problem will cost us millions of ringgit, including the loss in tourism and an increase in the expenditure for health-related sickness, etc.
Meng: Year in and year out we have to live with the haze. It has become a part of our life. This just shows the lack of political will on the part of the Asean leaders. It has been going on for almost eight years now. How much revenue is loss from the lack of productivity because of sickness, and how much more in medical bills?
This month alone, I have spent close to RM60 on my three children who have congested lungs and fever. They have together missed a total of five days of school. I have a tight chest as well and have difficulty in breathing. Who knows what is the long-term effects of being exposed to this soot year in and year out?
Furthermore, we ask tourists from all over the world to come to Malaysia. What do they see? Grey skies and polluted air. Next year is Visit Malaysia Year - we should ask our tourists to bring along oxygen masks.
On Khairy: No LKY-style apology
Lim Yiat Fong, deputy secretary-general, Wanita MCA: If a senior and experienced statesman like Lee Kuan Yew can tender his apology, though qualified as some would have expected it to be, we should just accept it in good faith and move forward with our life.
Why do we still want to insist on a full apology from Lee when our very own politician don't even have the courage to even tender a similar apology for the racial remarks he made to his fellow Malaysian comrades? At least Lee has the grace and wisdom to apologise! If we want our
neighbours to be sensitive and to respect our country, we should exercise similar treatment to our own fellow countrymen.
The point is, we should not exercise double standard in our actions lest it may be misinterpreted as arm twisting. If we want to develop a first-world mentality, we should win our arguments based on logic, facts, rational persuasion and littered with lots of wisdom. The 'jaguh kampung' is no longer our cup of tea.
Enough is Enough: I think enough has been said about Khairy's statement regarding the Chinese in Malaysia. Having listened to Khairy's explanation, the other non-Umno component parties may keep silent from now on. But remember that Khairy's statement (if reported correctly ) is directed at all Chinese Malaysians.
I think we should let this matter rests for now. But to ensure that racial politics is not welcomed by all Malaysians irrespectively of race, we must ensure that Khairy is not elected in the next election.
Ah Chong: The PM and the foreign minister is not satisfied with LKY's apology who said that he valued the warm relations ever since Pak Lah took over as PM in Malaysia. Did we get any form of apology, whether directly or indirectly, from Khairy? No.
It is not so bad when we get insulted by another country's leader as he is an outsider but when a fellow Malaysian insults the Chinese community, that is most hurting. Khairy must apologise for his remarks and the MCA and Gerakan are but wimps if they allow Umno Youth to gloss over this insult. It only proves that Lee is right when he said that Chinese Malaysians are a subservient and marginalised lot.
On Apologetic Kuan Yew takes a shot at Dr M
Peter: The reply by Lee Kuan Yew really put our leaders to shame. In his reply, Lee listed the number of occasions that our leaders accused the republic of marginalising the Malays. The most glaring example was the remark made by Khairy, the son-in-law of Pak Lah. Now based on this fact, how could Pak Lah ask Lee to apologise for making similar remarks?
Pak Lah, in his capacity of Umno president, prime minister and father-in-law, could have cautioned Khairy and asked him to apologise first. But Pak Lah chose to maintain his elegant silence. Silence, here, means consent and can be interpreted as condoning Khairy's remark. Well and good, as Singapore did not react to it.
But when Lee made his remarks, all these leaders including Pak Lah demanded an apology from the former. To me, it is rather silly and uncalled for. When we could not possibly discipline our very own Khairy, how do you expect to do likewise to Lee.
I believe the whole world is laughing at our leaders' antics after having digested Lee's crafty reply.
On NEP will destroy the Malays
Hamka: I've been an entrepreneur for the past 10 years. I obtained an engineering degree from the US and now running my own plastics factory.
Ten years of hardship in business taught me millions of lessons - lessons that gave me valuable knowledge. These past few years, after a few achievements and lots of failure, I'm inclined to go against NEP. I am not much a writer. My reasons are scattered throughout my journey. I have concluded that the NEP somehow hinders genuine Malay entrepreneurs' opportunity to succeed.
However, before we abolish NEP, we need to do a lot of homework. How sure are we that without NEP, the Malays will be better off? I wish to see this Khalid Ibrahim and share with him a few of my thoughts.
John Cheah: The once powerful USSR has vanished, Germany has been reunited and South Africa's apartheid is history. The world is changing fast - technologically and politically. There may come a day when Taiwan will return to the motherland and Korea may also be one.
Yet Malaysia continues to tell the world that we have two classes of citizens: bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras. We have achieved independence for 49 years and yet racial discrimination continues from one generation to the next.
It is a joke to see rich Malays continue to enjoy hefty discounts on the purchase of properties. This must stop and so must all forms of racial discrimination if we truly want to forge a united country.
Khalid, well said. But let us hope that more Malays have the courage and sincerity to tell their 'wakil rakyat' that enough is enough. We do not want to be spoon-fed. Treat everyone as equals.
Celine Tan: Most of the time when people are talking about the different races in Malaysia, they refer to Malays, Chinese and Indians. Many of us tend to leave out the indigenous people who live in Sabah and Sarawak - they are not Malays, but Kadazans, Ibans, etc. They never claim themselves as Malays. The indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak are also being marginalised in Malaysia.
