I wish to reply to Ahmad Syafiq's letter, 'Malays competent enough to compete fairly' (May 9). Of course you can proudly say that you do not need the quota because you have passed the mill. But do you know that there are thousands of rural bumiputras, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, who will be helpless without the university quota?

The rural bumiputras will not be able to enter universities if they are expected to compete with students from towns and cities. Just compare their schools, the facilities, the teachers, etc. The students from towns and cities, apart from attending first-class schools, also attend tuition, the fees of which can come to a few hundred ringgit.

Can the rural bumiputras afford the same 'advantages'? Their parents are just smallholders or labourers who just make ends meet. And of course, the students from towns and cities can score 9 or 10 As.