PM Mahathir's call for meritocracy upsets Malays<\/p>\n
By Joceline Tan<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR: On A cloudy Wednesday afternoon last week, Prime
\nMinister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that entry into
\nMalaysian public universities would soon be based on a merit
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
Malay students eyeing a university place would have to start
\nstudying from now on or be left out, he said in his "take-it-or-
\nleave-it" style.<\/p>\n
That very evening, he flew out of the country for a fortnight
\nof work-cum-vacation. The following day found United Malays
\nNational Organization (UMNO) leaders, and particularly Education
\nMinister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad, trying their best to explain
\nmatters.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister is still abroad and the reaction to his
\ncontroversial policy change is still rippling through Malay
\ncircles. The reaction has ranged from concern and confusion to
\nopposition and outrage.<\/p>\n
Dr Mahathir, president of the 2.7-million-strong UMNO, had
\nevidently caught everyone by surprise.<\/p>\n
He had been talking about the poor performance of Malay
\nstudents, of their propensity for anti-government politics rather
\nthan their studies, of the way the Malays had taken UMNO's
\nefforts for granted and of the need to jolt them out of their
\ncomplacency.<\/p>\n
But few had expected him to start cracking the whip this soon.<\/p>\n
The New Economic Policy, implemented in the 1970s, enabled
\nMalays to gain entry into university on less stringent
\nqualifications than their non-Malay counterparts. Dr Mahathir's
\nproposal aims to dismantle the handicap on an incremental basis
\nbeginning next year.<\/p>\n
UMNO politicians know it is not going to be easy rationalizing
\nwith the rural populace, which still forms the bedrock of UMNO's
\nsupport. Many are even expecting a backlash.<\/p>\n
Said an UMNO politician from Terengganu: "The Malays are not
\nready. Maybe those in the town and city are ready, but come down
\nto the kampong and you will see that the Malays still need a lot
\nof help and support."<\/p>\n
Just how unready some Malay figures are was apparent at a
\nconvention organized by the Peninsular Malay Students Federation
\nseveral days ago.<\/p>\n
A young undergraduate who took the microphone spoke of how he
\nand his friends were brought on a tour to the new administration
\ncapital, Putrajaya, and about how a senior civil servant, during
\na briefing, urged them to prepare themselves for the system of
\nmeritocracy because it would be implemented in the civil service
\nas well.<\/p>\n
"The civil servant has only three more years before he
\nretires. It is easy for him to talk about burning the bridge
\nbecause he has crossed it. But we are just about to cross the
\nbridge," the student said to loud applause from his colleagues.<\/p>\n
The federation, or GPMS as it is known by its Malay
\nabbreviation, has over the years acquired a reputation as the
\nultra voice of the Malays.<\/p>\n
GPMS is clearly critical of the plan to submit Malays students
\nto more rigorous entry qualification into university and its
\nrepresentative at the convention insisted that university quotas
\nwere "a Malay right which no one should question".<\/p>\n
It is quite likely that a number of UMNO leaders are quietly
\npleased GPMS is taking such a strong stand on the meritocracy
\nissue.<\/p>\n
Thirty years of protective measures and special quotas have
\nenabled close to two generations of Malays to leapfrog the
\nhighway of progress, but it has also made them complacent and
\nhighly dependent on the government.<\/p>\n
Therefore, it is unsurprising if segments among the Malay
\ncommunity are reluctant, afraid even, of letting go of what they
\nare used to.<\/p>\n
As one of the participants at the above forum put it: "It is
\nlike asking us to throw away our walking stick. We will surely
\nfall."<\/p>\n
Among some Malays, the idea of having to compete on merit with
\nother races is akin to venturing into the unknown. They find it
\nscary and they feel they have yet to acquire the coping skills.<\/p>\n
Yet, none within UMNO seems prepared to tell the Prime
\nMinister how unprepared the Malays are for such a radical move,
\nand at a time when UMNO is still trying to regain the Malays'
\nconfidence.<\/p>\n
Malay self-confidence is also at an all-time low.<\/p>\n
The high profile financial woes of Malay business figures such
\nas Tan Sri Halim Saad and Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli have dented the
\nMalay psyche much more than can be imagined. Questionable as
\ntheir rise to the top may have been, these businessmen were
\nsymbols of what the Malays could aspire to.<\/p>\n
In that context, many Malays question why Dr Mahathir is doing
\nthis now.<\/p>\n
Those in the academia say he is fed up with the anti-
\ngovernment sentiment brewing in Malaysian campuses since the
\nsacking of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
Pro-Parti Islam SeMalaysia students in Universiti Malaya had
\ncampaigned vigorously against him days before he was due to open
\na conference at the university.<\/p>\n
In many ways, what is happening on Malaysian campuses is a
\nmicrocosm of Malaysian society. The Malays are deeply split and
\nextremely emotional over whom they think is fit to run the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Up till a few months ago, those who dared suggest adjustments
\nto the racial quota in universities stood the risk of being
\naccused of sedition for questioning Malay special privileges.<\/p>\n
In that sense, the most positive aspect of the controversy
\nover the meritocracy issue is that it is being publicly discussed
\nat all and, more importantly, among the Malays themselves.<\/p>\n
They are dead against it, that is for sure.<\/p>\n
But the debate should signal the reality that quotas and other
\nprotective measures cannot remain intact for eternity if Malays
\naspire to hold their head high -- not only within the country,
\nbut also internationally.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pm-mahathirs-call-for-meritocracy-upsets-malays-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }