Hopelessness: Do you see hope Indians in Malaysia, I asked a friend, a writer. No, she said. And then she went on to talk how they probably had a chance once in the past, and how that chance had now vapourised. It is all a matter of time; once Mahathir leaves, even the little hope left will not be there.

Strange you may think. But the truth is, there are very few 'educated' indian-Malaysians out there who think otherwise. They are fatalistic beyond reason.