Media Statement
by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): Prime Minister’s national mission and 9MP of a first class mentality and value creation will be a failure if meritocracy and top students continue to be denied scholarships. DAP express sympathy to the top SPM students who fail to get their reward despite all the hard work and sadness that Malaysia will be once again losing top talents or fail to exploit their full potential.

DAP realizes that competition was stiff as there were only 1,300 Public Service Department scholarships for degree places overseas available. With over 15,300 students applicants, the natural expectation and logical understanding is that only top students who were from poor backgrounds would be accepted.

However the rejection of qualified students who were amongst the best in SPM and from poor backgrounds continues to be sorrowful and unacceptable annual ritual. For instance,  press reports of one unsuccessful student from Klang took 17 subjects and obtained 15A1s, one A2 and one B3. As a son of a lorry driver and factory worker, there is no reason why he could not qualify to obtain a scholarship.

DAP considers the annual ritual of top students crying on national newspapers asking why they were denied scholarships a shameful indictment of everything that is wrong with our national education policy and award of scholarships. It is irresponsible for the government officials not to feel ashamed but instead justify the illogical and irrational reasons why these qualified top students are rejected.

Such rejections will only lead to brain drain and not encourage brain gain. DAP is therefore not surprised why some top students remain behind and fail to return home. Who will want to return home with such policies that will only lead to brain drain and not encourage brain gain.

The only beneficiaries from such irrational policies will be countries head-hunting for top talents such as Singapore who offers incentives to top Malaysian students including permanent residents. A check at Singapore government hospitals will only show the large number of doctors from Malaysia. Isn’t it a loss to the government that top doctors are serving in a neighbouring country when they could be serving in Malaysian hospitals?

The other beneficiary would be MCA who can play the hero by helping a few students to get scholarships whilst the larger number of qualified ones would be denied their right. DAP calls on the Prime Minister to undertake a full review of scholarship application procedures that the PSD must have a first-class mentality first if the country is to have a chance to achieve first class-mentality.