This book begins with seemingly Chinese-centric issues, but they dissolve gradually into what are essentially issues that effect all communities in this multicultural nation: racial integration and disintegration; myths and misconceptions; connectedness and a sense of belonging; how to bring the community together; the need for a strong leadership that will act as a "strong negotiator" to represent and champion the community; and the search for common ground that a multicultural society can stand on. Worry over deterioration or loss of values, the collapse of the extended family and the dilution or hybridisation of tradition, presented from the Chinese perspective, may seem like race-specific problems, but they are actually human ones. -- extract from Message from Datuk Abdul Jalil Hamid.