MPM committee member Professor Datuk Dr Kamarudin Kachar said they welcomed Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s announcement that all students who scored 9A+ would obtain full PSD scholarships but there had to be “some adjustments” to the selection criteria.
“While we welcome the Prime Minister’s decision of a merit-based criteria to awarding scholarships, it must reflect the country’s racial ratio.
“The Malay population of this country is 67 per cent. That means 67 per cent of scholarships should be set aside for deserving Malays and Bumiputeras,” Kamarudin told reporters here.
Kamarudin claimed that preserving the country’s racial status quo was important to “ensure stability, harmony and to avoid conflict.”
MPM also told the government to ensure that academic excellence was not the only benchmark for the awarding of scholarships.
“They should award scholarships from all fields, not just for those who excel academically. Sometimes the whole process is too-exam oriented. Students who are capable leaders and who excel in sports should also be given scholarships,” said another committee member, Jais Abdul Karim.
Jais, who is also the president of Malay student group GPMS, said the government should establish a special committee within the Public Services Department to discuss the criteria of those who are deserving of scholarships.
“You cannot liken a student who comes from a rich background and a student who is poor and give them the same assessment criteria for scholarships. Students who are poor should be given priority,” added Tan Sri Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shah, member of MPM’s steering committee.
The usually outspoken MPM chairman and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali was unusually silent throughout the press conference.
Ibrahim broke his silence mid-way through the press conference by reiterating his colleagues’ viewpoints on maintaining the country’s racial status quo when awarding scholarships.
Ibrahim also demanded that the government cease its current practice of sending undergraduates overseas to study.
“The government says it spends RM1.4 billion in financing students overseas. This was done in the past because we did not have institutions back then which could support our students. But now we have so many learning institutions.
“Studying medicine in the United Kingdom costs RM1.2 million. If you were to study it locally, it will only amount to RM400,000. Save the money so that many others can benefit from it,” said the Pasir Mas MP.
Najib announced yesterday that the PSD scholarships are for students of all races who want to pursue higher studies in local or foreign institutions.
“Each student irrespective whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or others who obtain 9A+ (in their SPM results) qualify for the JPA scholarships, be it for studies locally or overseas,” said Najib.
The prime minister said this scholarship opportunity showed that the government was serious about bringing forth a transformation in line with the 1 Malaysia concept.
“This shows that 1 Malaysia is not only a slogan but is being practiced in Malaysia,” he said.
