Admitting students based on merit instead of race/religion encourages students to compete for the limited positions in our national universities and in doing so better themselves.

Meritocracy is not merely about changing the racial proportion of university entrants. Yes, everyone wants to have a better chance of entering public universities but is that the expected result of the meritocracy exercise? That we have a larger proportion of students of a certain race being admitted? If everyone wants their proportion increased, then which race should become the scapegoat? Ridiculous! Have we lost track of the reason of encouraging competition?

Hence, I find our dear S Samy Vellu's call for the return to the 55:35:10 quota system quite shortsighted. Instead, we should let the system work over a few years, people will adapt to the new merit criteria; just like in a free economy, the fittest will secure their positions.

Some quarters had pointed out that quite a few non-Malay attend local private colleges while others are fortunate enough to pursue their studies overseas. True, as I have friends who migrated to foreign countries in order to obtain their tertiary education. Some even took scholarships to other countries (particularly Singapore) but in return, were bound in service for many years.

My point is, a lot of people are not willing to take the risk of going back to Form Six only to be reused a position in the public universities despite having done well in the exam. If students are really convinced that the chances of entering a local university is solely based on merit, then I dare say more people would be interested in going back to Form Six. After all, some of the local universities are really prestigious. Therefore, it is quite critical that the merit-based admission process is implemented transparently and the public is informed of the evaluation criteria.

I do hope that fellow Malaysians will be more patient. Don't focus only on the short-term results but also the larger picture of national progress.