Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today insisted that the awarding of the much coveted Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship have been done transparently.

However, he conceded that the public and certain interest groups were apparently in the dark on the selection process for the scholarships.

“The process has been transparent enough. Maybe not many people understand how PSD makes their decisions,” he told reporters after visiting the SMK Victoria Institution carnival today.

He said this when asked if the Education Ministry was planning to respond to calls by various political parties to publicise criteria for the selection of some 2,000 PSD scholarship for studies overseas.

“We are not hiding things. It was done as transparent as possible,” said Muhyiddin, adding that the system would be further improved.

To a question, Muhyiddin said that since there will be 10-subject limit for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) from next year onwards, the PSD would be amending their system to select scholarship recipients.

“If a student gets an A, we have to see if its an A+ or A-,” said Muhyididn, who is also deputy prime minister.

Muhyiddin added that his ministry is open to suggestions and urged critics to submit their views.

According to New Straits Times today, Education Ministry director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom said that the number of core subjects for SPM have been reduced from six to four, thereby allowing students to choose six elective subjects.

Decision will not affect Ali Rustam

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said that the Umno supreme council’s decision to suspend members charged in court does not apply to those found guilty by the party disciplinary board.

“(Disciplinary board decisions are) purely a political matter,” he said, suggesting that the party may not automatically suspend those found guilty by its disciplinary board.

This include Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam, who was found guilty of being involved in “money politics” by the disciplinary board and barred from the recent party polls.

The move to suspend Umno members charged in court was announced yesterday by Umno president Najib Abdul Razak following monthly meeting of the party’s supreme council.

However, the suspension would be lifted and positions restored once the member was found not guilty by the courts, said Najib.

Among those to be affected by yesterday’s decision is former Umno supreme council member Norza Zakaria, who was charged on March 13 for alleged involvement in money politics.

He claimed trial to two charges of offering bribes to party delegates to vote for him in the party polls.