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Facing the real world: Government must be prepared to implement fair and genuine meritocracy system Press Statement by KErk Kim Hock (Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): Speaking at the launch of the Student Leaders ‘ Seminar on Student Leadership to Drive Excellence in Globalisation, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reminded the Malay students to prepare themselves for the real world, which runs on meritocracy.   He said that many students were able to gain entry into the universities because they were given a tongkat by the government through the quota system. He told the students that they would not be able to hold on to the tongkat forever and that it would be of no use when they enter into the workforce.   Yesterday was not the first time that a top government leader had made such a call for the dismantling of the tongkat mentality. The Prime Minister and the deputy Prime Minister had more than once urged the Malays to discard such mentality.   I call on the government to replace the present meritocracy system for recruiting students into local public universities with one that is genuine, fair and professional, if it is serious about wanting to eradicate the tongkat mentality.   The government must realise and accept the fact that the major reason why such tongkat mentality exists is due to the long term effect of the implementation of the racial quota policy as many have come to expect that tongkat must be the part of the government policy.   What is more worrying, however, is the implementation of the unfair meritocracy system for recruiting students into local public universities last year and this year as such unfair system will definitely bring further negative effects on   the mentality of the Malay students.   Although many Malay politicians have always defended the need to continue the racial quota policy on the ground that bumiputra students still lack the ability to compete, they will however acknowledge that the policy is an affirmative policy or a policy of positive discrimination that has to end one day.   However, the present meritocracy system has been lauded and defended as a fair system although its implementation has created controversy, objections and criticisms. How could it be changed or stopped one day if the basis of argument is that this is already a fair and just meritocracy system.   In this globalised era, it is imperative that the government must embark on new policies and strategies that could raise the students’ competitiveness so that the nation could compete against the world, the implementation of the unfair and unprofessional meritocracy system will only create more dilemmas for the nation in the future. .   (4/6/2003) * Kerk Kim Hock, DAP Secretary General and MP for Kota Melaka