The Straits Times Singapore 10 May 2001

Controversy over unfilled quotas

Chinese newspapers accuse education officials of racism and say the quota system must be changed to keep talented young people in Malaysia

By Leslie Lau IN KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIAN Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad says the controversy over unfilled bumiputra quotas in public universities here is now over.

But at least one former top university administrator and a host of columnists in Chinese newspapers say they just do not buy the minister's explanation that an honest mistake had stoked the controversy.

Former Universiti Sains Malaysia deputy vice-chancellor Datuk Sharom Ahmat questioned the validity of the latest inclusion of another 8,365 matriculation students into the tally to demonstrate that the quota had been filled.

Last weekend, the government said it would open up more than 7,000 unfilled bumiputra seats to high-achieving non-Malays who had earlier failed to secure entry into universities.

But in a turnaround on Wednesday, Tan Sri Musa told Parliament that the ministry had made a mistake and forgot to include another 8,365 students.

What this meant was that there were no more seats for non-Malay students.

But Datuk Sharom said that a large number of the matriculation students who had enrolled for their courses last year had been included in this year's count.

Chinese newspapers gave prominent coverage to the issue and its columnists were hard-hitting in their criticism of the government and accused officials of racism.

'It is absurd that the Education Ministry has 'given birth' to extra students overnight to fill the quota. We all know in our hearts where their motivation lies.

'Their mentality is: We just will not give it to you, so what can you do?' wrote a columnist in a news analysis in Sin Chew Jit Poh.The writer also noted that the ministry had made fools out of Malaysians and the Prime Minister.

The commentary also accused officials of being racist, adding that this would take away the country's competitive edge.

'We do not want to see Singapore take away Malaysia's talents. Past experience shows that many of these talented people end up as Singapore citizens,' it said.

In a separate comment, the newspaper also drew an analogy of the ministry's about-turn with a bride who is rejected by the groom at the altar because he has made a mistake and tells her that he is already married.

'The hopes of more than 600 non-bumiputra students were dashed, leaving them sad and their family members angry,' it said.

The newspaper comment said that the 55 per cent bumiputra and 45 per cent non-bumiputra quota no longer had credibility but government officials still used it as an excuse to reject non-bumiputras.

It also accused education officials of being contemptuous of Chinese education.

'If the government wants the continued support of the Chinese, it will have to get rid of these extremists,' the paper said.

The China Press also blamed government officials for mishandling the issue and called for reforms in university entry criteria.

'The ministry has not provided a reasonable explanation. It initially claimed that some outstanding students were not good in extra-curricular activities but even a former national basketball player was denied entry,' it noted.

The newspaper said the ministry should admit its mistakes and apologise to the public.

'While the quota system provides good education opportunities to bumiputras, it must be changed in the long run to help our country achieve its aims,' it said.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg

 

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