The university intake ratio of bumiputra to non-bumiputra has not been adhered to for nearly three decades and more bumiputra students have been admitted than allowed by the ratio, an opposition leader claimed today.
Providing statistics from the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) on the bumiputra and non-bumiputra student intakes into universities from 1970 to 1999, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock said the authorities must fully explain why the universities have deviated from the stated ratio of 55 to 45.
According to the statistics in the NEAC reports, in 1970, bumiputra intake was 54.2 percent and non-bumiputra, 45.8 percent.
However, in 1980, the bumiputra intake was 63.1 percent; non-bumiputra, 36.9 percent. In 1990, bumiputra students comprised 65.9 percent whereas in 1999, they formed 69.9 percent of total intake.
| Year | Bumiputra | % | Non-bumiputra | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5,955 | 54.2 | 5,040 | 45.8 |
| 1980 | 24,888 | 63.1 | 14,566 | 36.9 |
| 1985 | 48,786 | 67.0 | 23,991 | 33.0 |
| 1988 | 54,914 | 66.0 | 28,274 | 34.0 |
In a press statement, Kerk, who is also Kota Melaka member of parliament, said such non-adherence to the agreed formula is "a double injustice" to the non-bumiputra students as the imposition of a racial quota has already reduced their chances of being admitted into public universities.
Stop parroting
"The deviations from the agreed formula further aggravates the problem by reducing the chances of the non-bumiputra potential students," said Kerk.
The public university intake in Malaysia is based on a racial quota where 55 percent is allocated to bumiputra students and 45 percent for non-bumiputras.
Kerk said it is insufficient for MCA leaders and ministers to merely echo Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's assurance without accounting for the deviation.
"The MCA ministers must fully account for such deviations. The government must also set up a special committee to investigate this and to ensure that the enrolment and selection of students will be carried out in a fair, just and transparent manner," added Kerk.
Meanwhile, DAP national chairperson, Lim Kit Siang said MCA ministers should censure or at least ask for an apology from Education Minister Musa Mohamed for breaching the principle of collective responsibility of ministers.
"Musa has gone out of line by giving personal support to the extremist proposal of increasing the bumiputra university quota from 55:45 to 66:34," said Lim. Last Thursday, Musa was reported by the media as saying that the government was prepared to increase the bumiputra intake quota from the present 55 percent to 66 percent based on the country's current racial composition.
Brain drain
"For a non-politician who entered the cabinet by way of 'helicopter', Musa has learnt very fast how to 'play politics' with educational issues," said Lim.
Lim also stated that he had e-mailed all ministers to support the call to Mahathir, that the cabinet urgently adopts a "high-quality higher education policy" where all SPM and STPM top scorers are admitted into public universities.
The e-mail included a four-point plan comprising: university admission for the more than 500 SPM top scorers; automatic university admission for SPM students with eight As and above; first choice of course for SPM students with 11As and above; and the release of all science places from the 7,168 university places not filled by bumiputras to eligible Chinese and Indian science students.
The debate on the issue of the quota began after Mahathir announced that Malaysia may abolish its race-based quota system for public university places to avoid a 'brain drain' of ethnic Chinese and Indians.
Explanation rejected
The system attracted controversy this year after hundreds of Chinese and Indians were denied entry to universities although more than 7,000 places are vacant due to - as offered by the ministry's Higher Education Department Director Hassan Said - a lack of qualified bumiputra students.
The education minister has denied any vacancy in the ensuing uproar, explaining that two groups of matriculation students had been left out from the initial figure of 30,800 given by Hassan, accounting for the shortfall from the targetted admission of 38,000.
However, Lim insisted that there were still thousands of places available, rejecting the minister's explanation.
Lim countered that the first group of 5,761 matriculation students who enrolled in universities last November should be included in the intake for the 2000/2001 academic year whereas the second group of 2,604 matriculation students in the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) should also be excluded since the university is not considered as one of the 14 local public institutions of higher learning.
