House speaker allows debate on Mara quota, opposition divided

comments     Susan Loone     Published     Updated

Parliament speaker Dr Mohd Zahir Ismail today agreed to the opposition's request to debate the controversial issue of quota for non-Malays in matriculation courses in Mara colleges.

Zahir said the motion raised by Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) on the issue of 10 percent quota for non-Malays in matriculation courses was "specific, of public concern and urgent".

Members of parliament responded to Zahir's approval with cheers for it is rare for the speaker to approve 'sensitive' motions raised by the opposition.

Zahir then set 30 minutes each for the opposition and the government to debate the issue later today.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called on all Malaysians, regardless of race, to support the government's policy of integration in education.

He stressed that education was an effective arena for the government to bring about racial integration.

Abdullah pointed out that the decision to open up 10 percent of places in Mara science junior colleges to non-bumiputras was born out of "a sincere desire to forge a united Malaysian nation".

He added it will also help erase the perception that Malays are unable to survive in open competition without quotas.

Special privileges

In arguing for a parliamentary debate on the issue, Mahfuz said the government-approved 10 percent quota for non-Malays in Mara was against Article 153 of the Constitution which touches on Malay special rights.

Article 153, said Mahfuz, was the basis for the setting-up of matriculation courses for bumiputra students in Mara colleges to prepare them to compete with others in universities.

"This is clearly a violation of bumiputra special privileges and will loosen the social ties in the society when Malaysians have accepted the fact that [special] position of bumiputra is one of the stabilising factors [in the country]," he said.

"Mara was set up to enhance the position of the Malays in the fields of science, mathematics and to bridge the professional gap between the races so that they can compete," said Mahfuz, who is also PAS Youth leader.

Mahfuz said the quota system will widen the social and economic gap between the country's different races.

"This political ploy by the BN [Barisan Nasional] government can indirectly threaten racial integration in this country," he warned.

"It is the duty of this House to protect the rights of bumiputra without jeorpadising the rights of other races, to give them an opportunity to compete healthily with each other without threatening harmony of the country," he said.

Mahfuz said this debate was urgent because the educational sector of the bumiputra must be "salvaged" from further politicisation by BN to obtain the support of the non-Malays.

He said this also appeared to be the opinion of noted academician, royal professor Dr Ungku Aziz.

The opposition is expected to be split on the issue with the DAP backing the government's move to provide places for non-Malays in Mara's matriculation courses.



Malaysiakini
news and views that matter


Sign In