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Meritocracy system:  Education Minister’s comments have strengthened the doubt about the objective of the unfair system   Media Statement by Kerk Kim Hock (Petaling Jaya, Monday): In an interview which appeared in yesterday’s Mingguan Malaysia, the Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad commented hat if the the present meritocracy system results in the intake of bumiputra students to fall below the previous bumiputra quota level of of 55 %, then the government must review the system. Musa ‘s comments have certainly shown his lack of commitment to a fair meritocracy system .His comments are also unfair to the non bumiputra students as how can the system be fair if there is a condition that the bumiputra student intake can only increase but not decrease?   Meritocracy is supposed to encourage competition . What then is this meritocracy system if the objective is only to ensure that intake of bumiputra students cannot decrease while that of other races can decrease.   Is Musa prepared to announce what then is the bottom line of non-bumiputra intake before the government decides to review the present system, which has been criticized as one that lacks the principle of fairness and does not also promote real competitiveness?   Student intake for 2002 / 2003 and 2003/2004 academic years are as follows:     2002/2003 Student Intake 2003/2004 Student Intake Bumiputra  22, 557 ( 68.9% ) 23,162 ( 62.6%) Chinese  8, 665  ( 26.4% ) 11, 921 ( 32.2% ) Indian   1, 530 ( 4.7.% )   1,934  ( 5.2% ) Total 32,752  ( 100 % ) 37,034  ( 100 % )   The above statistics show that since the introduction of the present meritocracy system, the non-bumiputra student intake has dropped below the 45% level- the previous racial quota set for non-bumiputra students .Yet there have been no calls for the government to review such a system based on such a racial ground.   The calls by the non-bumiputra community are merely that the system must be one that truly promotes competitiveness and is merit based.   I should also remind Musa that there are still criticisms and doubts that the unfair meritocracy system introduced two years ago was aimed at increasing the bumiputra student intake.  Unfortunately, Musa ‘s comments have strengthened such doubt.   (19/1/2004) * Kerk Kim Hock, DAP Secretary General and MP for Kota Melaka