MCA Education Bureau chairperson Dr Ting Chew Peh stressed today that the party-run and funded Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) welcomes students of various races.

Responding to a news report in yesterday's Utusan Malaysia in which Umno Youth raised the question of Utar having only one Malay in its pioneer batch of 560 students, Ting said that "we welcome anyone who can fulfill the entry requirement based on academic qualifications irrespective of race".

Yesterday, Umno Education Bureau chairman Dr Adham Baba was quoted as saying that Utar's intake of mostly Chinese students looked as though the university wanted to maintain the domination of Chinese students. He also said that the intake indicated that MCA and the university authority did not put any effort to recruit bumiputra students.

He added that he was not making a mere "allegation" but the statement was based on "track record".

Ting said Utar and another MCA-managed private institution, Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC), practised "open policy".

"We established Utar not only for the Chinese," he emphasised at a press conference after MCA's seventh education bureau meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.

Asked about the sole Malay student in Utar, Ting requested queries to be forwarded to the registry department of Utar. However, Utar external relations officer could not be reached for comments today.

Explain policy

On whether Utar will explain its policy on student intake, Ting said the public should give it time to explain since it is new and its first batch of students started their course only last week.

Utar's only Malay student, Yanti Heryani Puteri Emrizal Bujang from Pahang, is studying journalism.

While some senior party leaders, including president Dr Ling Liong Sik have said that a quota system was not needed at private universities, including Utar, party vice-president Chua Jui Meng however had welcomed such a move.

Chua, who is also a TARC council member, said a quota system will foster unity among Malaysians.