The Government’s racially discriminatory policy in awarding Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship to students with outstanding results a clear example that the Government is not genuine in its policy to attract top brains, creating top class universities and unity through the National Service
Media Statement by Ngeh Koo Ham (Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): The BN Government has allowed its racial discriminatory policies to cloud all that is good for the nation. The Government has announced that it would want to attract top brains oversea Malaysians to return to help develop the nation. It has also make known its intention to make Malaysia a place of educational excellence by creating top-class universities. The Government has also announce its intention to create national unity through the compulsory National Service.
Yesterday’s Star (17/6/2003) quoting MCA Youth education bureau head Dr Wee Ka Siang, reported that 490 last year SPM students with excellent results had failed to get Public Services Department’s (PSD) scholarships. Out of these 490 students, 199 students had scored at least nine 1As and for the remaining subjects 2As. There was a student with 12As – 11 1As and one 2A who also failed to get a scholarship.
Out of the 199 students, 8 scored 12As, 62 who scored 11As, 104 with 10As and 25 cases of nine 1As.
What was not reported in the MCA controlled Star newspaper was that almost all if not all who seek the education bureau’s assistance were Chinese to avoid the embarrassment of the MCA leadership that they were unable to oppose such racially discriminatory policy.
The Government should give all such deserving students scholarships as they are the top brains who will return to our country to help further develop our nation. There are so many other nations all too eager to award them scholarships. They will all be lost once they become other nation’s scholars.
These are the students we must nuture to be our top universities lectures, researchers and inventors. It will be beyond our means and against the nation’s interest if we were to try to create top universities with imported lectures, researches and inventors. These students having been discriminated against because of their race will never feel at one with the race that is preferred by the government even if they have to through 10 times compulsory of national service. DAP calls on the Government to scrap this racially discriminatory policy, learn to value our top brains and in the process create a united and harmonious Malaysia. (18/6/2003) * Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP Perak Chairman |