If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is serious about his slogan of 1Malaysia, then the time has come for the government to be colour-blind and end ethnic profiling for scholarships.
The Barisan Nasional government had promised that there would not be a recurrence this year of the perennial problem of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships selection creating grave injustices and public alienation but this is not the case.
I am very disappointed that after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, there had been no announcement whatsoever about the solution to this year’s nation-wide uproar at the unjust PSD scholarship awards, and the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had been particularly quiet after various statements about a solution for the aggrieved students who failed to get scholarships despite clear merit in their results.
May be Ong is preoccupied with the RM12 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, on the breach of his repeated promise to make public the PricewaterhouseCooper audit report on it. However, many are saying that the gross wastage of public funds and mega financial scandals are interconnected with issues of PSD scholarships and government services, as for example the RM12 billion squandered on PKFZ would have amply provided scholarships to all the over 8,000 applicants who applied for PSD foreign degree scholarships this year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is talking about limiting the number of subjects a SPM candidate can take, but this is a very ad hoc and limited approach which does not go to the root cause of the problem of a fair, just, efficient and transparent PSD scholarship selection system.
Limiting the number of SPM subjects will not end the annual ruckus over the PSD scholarship awards unless there is a total revamp of the system to make it fair, just, efficient and transparent where meritocracy is given top priority, coupled with a needs-based programme.
The purpose of this roundtable is to kickstart a national debate on the need for a total revamp of the PSD scholarship selection system, whether scholarships should be awarded only at the SPTM level, a flexible programme to allow for change of courses, and the loopholes and weaknesses evident in the present system.
There is also a need to have an effective and transparent system so that Malaysians can monitor the PSD and the implementation of the various ministerial policy pronouncements.
For instance, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had announced in Parliament the PSD scholarship ratio of 55:45 for bumiputras to non-bumiputras for foreign degrees, that all top-scorers with 13A1s and 14A1s will automatically get scholarships as it is otherwise a great injustice, and that there is no quota for the PSD scholarships for local universities.
As these ministerial policy pronouncements are not translated into practice, there must be a transparent system of PSD scholarship selection so that Malaysians can monitor it.
It was revealed in Parliament that in the past six years from 2003 to 2008, Petronas awarded 1,035 scholarships for foreign universities, made up of 87% or 901 scholarships for bumiputras and 13% or 134 scholarships for non-bumiputeras.
Petronas and all government-linked scholarships should follow the PSD example of a scholarship ratio of 55:45 for bumiputras to non-bumiputras to pave the way for the end of ethnic profiling for public scholarships if the Najib motto of “1Malaysia” is to be meaningful.
A longer term solution is improve standard of Universities in Malaysia at par with International elite institutions such that the temptation to manipulate scholarships for education overseas become meaningless to the culprit.
I know….but impossible is nothing
our dear dpm cum education minister said to limit the number of subjects taken by the students as a solution to the scholarship allocation problem.
OMG! what an idiotic suggestion. does he need to chop his toes in order to fit into a smaller shoe. hahahahhaha… joke of the day!
i would propose our education minister to go through assessment also. we need a person with wisdom to lead the education ministry, not a d***a**. i wonder had he spent enough time understanding the problem and thought hard enough for a solution?
OMG! this person is a candidate of our future pm?
nr told singapore press that he wants to abolish nep. beware, he is trying to play the racial cards again. think carefully before responding to his remarks.
Why doesn’t he just reduce SPM to 1 single subject, any candidate can just take only 1 subject, be it BM, Islamic Study, Art, as long as he/she get an A, he/she will be a qualified candidate for PSD!
to nr: the best way to please singapore is to fill up the strait of tebrau.
The education minister wants to limit the number of subjects taken by the students so that his son can catch up with the rest of his class in the exam. If not, his son will be left with a couple of As while his classmates all score 12As and above. You must understand the feelings of the father
Malaysia leader vows reforms despite ethnic ‘pain’
AP – Thursday, May 21
SINGAPORE – Malaysia’s leader has pledged to roll back a decades-old affirmative action program for the ethnic Malay majority, insisting that the long-term benefits of doing so would outweigh the initial “pain,” a news report said Thursday.
Prime Minister Najib Razak, who took office last month, told Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper that he can handle the backlash to his plan from the country’s ruling political party, the United Malays National Organization.
Najib told the newspaper that he did not fear opposition from the “warlords” in the party because he believes most of them are loyal to him.
“Don’t forget, I’m the biggest warlord. They are chiefs but they’re smaller chiefs. I’m the big chief,” Najib said in the interview ahead of his two-day visit to the city-state starting Thursday.
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@@http://asia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090521/tap-as-malaysia-affirmative-action-b3c65ae.html
Over the years, the situation has improved. During my time, the chance for non-bumi like me to get it was zero. The chance to get into local U was also close to zero. In my town, people sold the houses or land in order to pay for the expenses of the children to study overseas. It took me many years to pay back all the debts – the money the family borrowed from the relatives. They helped me with the expenses. Would the government pay us back this expenses? If not, we are not going to serve the country, even though we love it.
I must say that I now have a happy life with a reasonably good job. I must thank the Barisan government for discriminating me. Without their discrimination, we would not have worked so hard to get what we wanted. The only thing I could not get was the scholarship from the government. Seeing the bumi friends with poor grades can enjoy the life with the scholarship while I couldn’t have a scholarship just in order to survive, what could I say?
I must say that I was more fortunate than many other people. There were so many people around me who deserved to get higher education, yet they were denied opportunities. All my brothers and sisters did well in their studies throughout the secondary schools, yet they never had a chance to go to the college. They were better than many bumi who were awarded scholarships, yet they did not have a chance. For this, I HATE the government.
Don’t hate the government. Thats like hating ourselves. After all, the government is but a representation of the people of Malaysia.
How many non-Malays have for the past 20 years closed one eye to the excesses and the unfairness of the government and continued voting for it? How many continued to champion BN calling it a progressive party that brings development, never mind a bit of corruption and NEP here and there.
Yes, many non-malays supported BN knowing full well what they were getting. They weren’t misled or lied to. We are merely reaping today what we have sown.
Ever since PSD started to give scholarship to non-bumi students, every year after SPM results we hear many problem. Those bumi students who do not get the scholarship do not complain although they are straight A’s as well. Since there are so many complains from the non-bumi applicants, I propose PSD to stop giving scholarship to non-bumi altogether. This will safe us a lot of trouble. The non-bumi who students claim to be very bright should be able to get support from good universities oversea that offer scholarship to excellent students worldwide.
I have lost my voice.
For over 50 years we were fed with BN propaganda because there is no alternative mass media. Not any more. The internet has opened up a new media to challenge the one sided BN propaganda.
Over the last few years I have followed thoughts from both divide. My conclusion is that only with a change in government can we have a chance for Malaysians to have a future.
If BN has been given 50 years and we are still lawless, there is no risk at all to try an alternative government and let them prove that they are better.
My voice may then be heard again.
This whole issue really brought back a rather ‘angry memory’ around 16yrs ago. I finished SPM exam, and went to work for a computer shop, doing the low end job, hauling the heavy monitors, etc. But I learned fast, and soon I was doing almost everything, like assembling PC, troubleshooting, repair, and teach customers how to use their newly purchased PC. Then here comes this Malay guy, finished SPM, and wanted to learn! Boss was nice, let him come to learn as intern. Well, 1st, he came to work wearing his Malay Attire, sarong and white shirt and sandal. OK, we assume he was poor, we ignore it. I as assigned to work with him and show him what I do…etc.
Came to find out, his English was so poor that he can hardly communicate with me in simple English! All the computer terms are in English and he can barely understand anything. I was quite patience to slowly walk him through, what a painful start, and I have to speak BM mix with English computer terms. After 3 months, he came in and inform us, he is leaving us. He was honest to tell us everything, he applied for some sort of Govt scholarship, and he got awarded a scholarship to UK to study Electronic/Electrical Engineering!
I was like, OMG…. my SPM result is much better than his, and he could hardly understand basic English; and here I was, sweating my pants writing admissions essay to apply to University in USA hopefully I can lower my cost of tuition fee by getting financial aid. Well, I guess I am lucky to get into a U in USA, got my degree… and move on with my life… thanks to my parents working hard earning $ and saving $.
Well….. recalling all this just makes me furious, but what to do? The only thing I can give credit to the Malay guy is, he was able to make all co-workers’ BM improve. But in this advance globalized high tech computer world, mastering BM is of total useless.
He was able to go back home yearly during school break…all paid by the scholarship, whereas I was in USA studying hard over the summer to graduate earlier thus saving living expenses…..! I should have kept in touch with him, he probably some kind of big shots now…. who knows he can sub me some deals…. does this sucks?
So… it’s been 16yr… over this past 16 yrs, how many of those kind of people got awarded scholarships? PSD is just the tip of an iceberg for scholarship awarded base on RACE/SKIN color. There are so many that we don’t even know!!
Muhyiddin Yassin,
Please don’t try to be smart for we know all the sly ways of you people.Not this year but you can do it next year and try to introduce more extracurricular activities cos pupils would have more time to participate in such activities then.
Hi Graduate,
Great insights!
Mind to provide us a statistics of which the Malay Full A’s students not getting the scholarship?
I bet you are not one of them?
“givenup”…Please do not give up!!
Speak till you have no voice..then speak with sign language …if you need to…but do not give up.
I am more lucky…..my voice is still strong….so I hope to speak till I drop dead or at least ..till 13th GE.
One more…People’s Power voice….will blow away braggart and arrogant pro UMNO and BN commentators here.
Keep quiet….they will fool readers to win votes for BN.
Why do you think Lim Kit Siang keep talking?
Because the job was not completed in 2th GE…and he loves country and Malaysians so much…never give up at all..as the finest opposition politician in Malaysia.
He has his small rewards…because he never give up.
Fighting to free Malaysians…expose corruptions…went to jail came out…never give up.
Anwar jailed for 6 years.came out…never give up.
Be inspired by these people.
Dear YB
We have so much conflicting statements we don’t know who or what to believe.
Why don’t you secure for the PEOPLe the following info so we can see what exactly the PSD has been doing and compare it with stated Govt policy (in Parliament and recorded in Hansard) as regards scholarships for the last 3 years:
1. How many awarded, broken down between local and overseas and the total cost of local vs overseas scholarships.
2. How many for medicine, engineering, law, ICT and others for (1).
3. How many awarded by race and West vs East M’sia for (1) and (2).
4. How many successfully went on to Uni and how many successfully graduated.
5. How many Bumis and non-Bumis who applied did not get scholarships even though they had better results than those awarded scholarships?
I am sure if you open this topic up for more discussion, you will be able to list out more info we should have so we can get at exactly how much the Civil Servants/UMNO/BN have been duping us all these years.
Let’s do this by systematically tabulating all the statistics and not just shooting from the hip!
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com
I do not know what the four MCA ministers were saying in the Cabinet. If they were influential in Cabinet, how could the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English or PPSMI be approved by Malaysian Cabinet?
Why do they have to beg and beg every year? Why can’t the best students get the scholarships? What are the yardsticks of PSD in granting the scholarships?