Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim has misled the people by claiming that the government is colour blind in handing out scholarships, an opposition parliamentarian says.

Shahidan appears ignorant that since 2009, Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships have typically been awarded to four groups, DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said today.

NONEThe scholarships are awarded based on merit, for bumiputera Malays, for bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak and for socially disadvantaged groups.

This was announced by Nazri Abdul Aziz, who was then a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Kok said.

"It is obvious that Shahidan has not been properly briefed on the PSD overseas scholarships and he should therefore seek the correct answers and retract his misleading remarks," she added in a press statement.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Shahidan said that non-bumiputeras have received 40 percent of the PSD scholarships, even though they comprised only 32 percent of the population and therefore merit was the criteria for the funds to study in overseas universities.

NONEKok also urged Shahidan to explain the drastic drop in the number of scholarships awarded in the last five years.

Based on figures revealed by Shahidan, 2,100 scholarships were given in 2009 and this has been cut every year since then. Only 300 scholarships were handed out last year.

"The drastic drop to 300 scholarships in 2012 is simply shocking. Is cost the reason for the decreasing number of scholarships given out since 2009?" Kok asked, and questioned whether some of the funds have been usurped by the Prime Minister's Department.

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