Year in year out, we hear the same issue of unfair PSD scholarship distribution, especially against the brilliant ones who scored straight As who did not receive any offer at all, or at best, accorded admission to a local university. More often than not, I observe MCA stepping in to intervene in this issue, and the majority of the complainants are non-Malays.

I have a gut feeling that the highlighting of this issue might contribute to a certain degree of racial polarisation. In that it seem suggest that only a certain race will be offered these prestigious scholarships. At this point, I must qualify that the majority of urbanites are integrated with the notion that ‘only Malays will get offered a PSD scholarship'.

If presented with a case where a non-Malay was offered a scholarship to study in New Zealand, they might respond: "Aya, isolated case to appease the public". In view of this, what sort of notion will be generated when this audience read tearful news of brilliant scholars not offered PSD scholarships to study abroad and catch their dreams?

I am not saying that the media should not inform the public about such gross injustice. Rather, I would like to propose that the media guard themselves that they do not portray it to contribute to racial polarisation. And the general public have to guard themselves when they read of such gross injustices that they do not misplace the issue into racial hatred or stigma.

Suppose that PSD does practice such policy, we should not hate the favoured race, but rather question and break down such unjust policy.

On another note, I am quite confident with the selection process of the PSD scholarship. This is because, I do recognise the need for a holistic education and not merely a ‘mugging' education. Often, I view the complainants with scepticism because I am of the opinion that the majority of these complainants do not have an active record of extra-curricular activities and yet can demand for a scholarship.

Nonetheless, I do recognise cases where students are excellent in all areas, and for that, they deserve a scholarship.

Recently, many parents have expressed that scholarship selection criteria should merely be based on academic merits. I would like to suggest that such selection criteria would lead the country into a slippery slope of producing a society of imbalanced individuals - individuals with no leadership qualities, social skills, people management, or generally known as Emotional Quotient (EQ).

I am confident that such suggestion is for the general well-being of the nation. I am currently studying in a university where admission selection criteria is based on pure academic merits. I can confidently tell STPM students with 3As and above with or without extra-curricular activities will be admitted to this university.

The result? A learning environment that is completely out of balance. During academic semesters, the atmosphere is ‘mug, mug, mug and mug. Play during vacations.' And I mean play as in curricular activities inclusive. And some extremes would leave play out of the question - they study ahead of their semester.

I hope PSD would review their selection criteria to see in which area have they fallen short in that they have left out the genuinely brilliant students from gaining such benefits, especially to those whose parents do not have the financial means to support their children, to materialise their dreams.