As someone who was one of the earliest batch that suffered under impact of the NEP, I feel it timely to personally tell of the heavy hand that has dealt with non-bumiputera top scorers since the 1970s.
Many of my family and friends were top scorers in their respective classes and schools and many were from some of the best schools in the country. But when my eldest brother and his friends applied to local universities, almost none of them got their choice of courses.
When it came to my turn in the mid 1980s, I was already prepared to go overseas and did not even attempt to apply to local varsities. But many top scorers I knew not only did not get the courses of their choice, they were given courses that was beneath their intelligence.
A person capable of being a doctor was asked to go into agriculture. A person who wanted to do law was asked to study social science. A person who wanted to do economics was asked to do education.
In a number of cases I am personally aware of, those who also had appealed against not being given their choice of course were scolded by officers of the Education Ministry for 'being ungrateful'.
This is the hidden story that has not been told supposedly due to our 'social bargain'. There is no doubt in my mind there was near-fascist thinking within the Education Ministry for a number of years. My own personal guess is that it is still happening.
How is it possible that given the severe shortage of doctors in this country, only 779 places are available for medical studies in public universities? How is it possible that given the expansion of the number of hospitals in this country - both public and private - there has been not anything even near a corresponding increase in medical students intake?
My family and friends have almost all moved overseas and have not looked back since our school days. Many of us ended becoming IT engineers and doctors.
When we tell our growing children of the things we went through, they are aghast. As much as they suffer discrimination in our adopted countries, they are horrified when they discover the things that went on in Malaysian - and are still going on.
