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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 6. April 4 1977

[Letter from A Malaysian Student to Salient Vol. 40 No. 6. April 4 1977]

Dear Sir,

I joined the others in condemning MSA for [unclear: puttii] putting up the recent sketch. I am indeed hurt and at the same time sad to think that there is such a group of unthinking, senseless students around playing down on our own people. To this group of people I and also a group of other Malaysian students here consider you a pain in our neck. We think that our country doesn't need people like you around because you will be perpetuating the system that we are ashamed of and which we want to get rid of.

As regards to the system that you will be perpetuating:
1.You will always be putting yourself as a high class of 'learned' intellectuals and those hawkers will look like dirt beside you.
2.You will look like a bunch of clean hand idiots (doing no crimes) while the hawkers will be seizing the opportunity to exploit your so-called high class of the society sponging on the few cents that you throw to them. Remember that your crimes are far greater because you have forgotten how you came to gain a higher education and have forgotten that your role as a privileged group is to understand them and to do something concrete to help them.

So I hope that all those in MSA (even if it hurts your 'pride' and 'dignity') will be socially aware of the problems back home and break away from your ivory tower of big houses, car and what-nots when you go home!

I also want to put forward another point and that regards calling yourself MSA. If you want to use this grand name do you really represent our students' interests and dare take up important political issues as they come up. If you find that you can't do that you might well call yourself the Malaysian Students Social Club which I think is more appropriate and more suited to your role.

A Malaysian Student.