I am sick to the teeth hearing complains about non-bumiputera students failing to land a Public Service Department (JPA) scholarship despite deserving one. Empty-handed students and parents seem to think that a deserving student has a right to such a scholarship.

I hope they think twice. I totally agree that fairness is questionable, meritocracy absent and transparency a waffle. The situation drives me nuts too. I feel for those on the receiving end; my sister was one of those involved.

Those wielding power have the right to make their decisions. Of course they come up with pastry sometimes but people do that all the time.

The status quo is a circus. I totally agree that the granting of scholarships is unfair as far as merit is concerned. By all means fight for fairness, fight for a merit-based reward system, fight for transparency, fight for a scholarship along the way.

But please don't think that a scholarship, or any kind of grant, comes to the most deserving. It doesn't work that way.

Fight on, but not with the mentality that the deserving must prevail. This is not fiction. Get real. Go against the system but consider the fact that even a 'proper' system can malfunction, this being one of them.

We cannot avoid it. Unfortunately, I know some parties who are fighting the battle with a skewed and selfish agenda on their minds. Money. But there should be more at stake. Do think about it a different way.