IT’S strange that some of us should find it difficult to identify ourselves first by our nationality and then only by our ethnicity. Yet, when we are overseas, none of us, including the politicians, have any qualms calling ourselves as Malaysians first.

When we fill up the immigration forms before we enter a foreign country, they only want to know our nationality and the passports we carry.

Really, they don’t give two hoots about our race or religion. They may want to know our gender or marital status but beyond that, no country, Malaysia included, really wants to know more than is required.

WHEN Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister this time last year, the timing could not be worse.

The Barisan Nasional was still struggling to recover from the massive losses of the March 8, 2008, general election. There was much gloom in the air as the country coped with the recession and the effects of the sub-prime problems in the United States.