There is much talk as to who will replace the outgoing vice-chancellor at University Malaya. Several names have hit the newspapers, with one daily boldly announcing a candidate, even before an official announcement has been made.

It is heartening to note that several women are among the candidates. If one of them is selected, that will definitely augur well for the equality of women in Malaysia, something which has taken quite a beating of late.

However, I note with interest that somehow all the candidates who are in this 'list' are Malays. Interesting isn't it?

There is not one single non-Malay academic worthy and capable of heading a university in this country. Not one. Is there some unwritten rule somewhere that this is a bumiputera post? In the academic scene today, there is not a single non-Malay vice-chancellor or even deputy vice-chancellor of a government university. Deans, yes, there is a sprinkling of colour. Just the bare minimum. That must be the glass ceiling.

So my dear leaders, the next time you wonder why few non-Malays join the civil service, here's your answer, staring right at your faces (not that you didn't know it). It is no big surprise that non-Malays simply do not get promoted to certain posts even if they work doubly hard when compared to their Malay colleagues.

Yet we wonder why our universities slip in rank, why our civil service is in shambles. You can wonder for a hundred more years, but the simple truth is until you value quality over race, ability over colour, we can only go downwards.