ASLI Centre of Public Public Studies chairperson Ramon Navaratnam has urged the Civil Service Department (PSD) to conduct an inquiry into alleged distortions in the award of its tertiary education scholarships.

Navaratnam said this was in view of the allegations by Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong yesterday, where he had claimed that PSD officials did not follow Cabinet criteria for selecting scholarship recipients.

Wee had also alleged that many qualified applicants failed to obtain the grants while undeserving students did, claiming that this was the worst year ever since he started handling PSD scholarship appeals.

ramon navaratnam interview 071108 01 In view of this, Navaratnam, ( left ) formerly transport ministry secretary-general, said the chief secretary of the government must conduct a full investigation into the matter.

"Worse still from the examples (cited by Wee), it appears that the alleged distortions and manipulations are based on race,"  he said in a statement today.

"If there is evidence of skewed implementation of (the) government's sound policy to grant scholarships based on merit, then the derelict officials or 'Little Napoleons' should be severely disciplined for flouting the government directive."

Sedition Act on errant officials urged

Navaratnam warns that the PSD scholarship fiasco is an example of how distorted policy implementation becomes major obstacles for the government's various reform plans and nation building programmes.

"This can cause serious social dissatisfaction that invites the authorities to throw the Sedition Act 1948 at such recalcitrant and insubordinate government officials.

"They are paid by our tax payers who will not tolerate such defiance and discrimination, if found to be true," he said.

A person found guilty under the Act may face a maximum three-year jail term, a maximum RM5,000 fine or both.

The Sta r tody reported Wee's warning that the fiasco was politically damaging for BN, adding that the coalition could "close shop" because of it.

"Many talented young people will also be driven away and this will make the brain drain problem even worse," he said.

11A+ but no scholarship

NONE Wee ( right ) said that there were a number of instances where straight A+ students were denied scholarships and were only offered placements in matriculation programmes with some form of financial assistance.

One such student, Chan Shu Ren from SMK Chung Ching from Raub obtained 11A+ for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.

"I have friends from the same school who only obtained 8A+ and 9A+ but received PSD scholarships to study in countries like France and India," she said at the same press conference.

Another student, Chair Sheng Min from SMK St Joseph, Kuching, who obtained 10A+, said that he was only offered a scholarship to study engineering at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, while his two friends with 4A+ and 5A+ respectively were awarded scholarships to pursue science degrees in the United States.

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