The MCA must use its influence in the cabinet to reject the Education Ministry's proposal to impose a quota system favouring bumiputra students in private colleges, said a DAP leader today.

Penang DAP leader and Tanjung member of Parliament (MP) Chow Kon Yeow said MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik must also convince the government to give its assurance that such a proposal would never be made a government policy.

He said it was unbecoming of Ling to take a meek stand by merely calling on the ministry to reconsider the proposal instead of rejecting it.

"The cabinet meeting this Wednesday must take cognizance of this matter and reject the proposal to extend the quota system to private colleges," said Chow in a media statement.

Last week, Education Minister Musa Mohamad was reported to have said that private institutions of higher learning may be made to follow the 55:45 bumiputra to non-bumiputra quota system which is currently applied for admissions in public universities.

The minister was commenting on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement earlier in the week that the quota should not only be in relation to students in local universities but also to those in private higher learning institutions.

Widespread objection

"In the thick of widespread objection by the people over the scandalous abuse of the 55:45 quota system in public university admissions and the proposal to extend the quota system to private colleges, Ling had kept his silence and refused to admit the utter incompetence of the MCA in this controversy," said Chow.

Chow added that Ling must impress the cabinet of the many questions raised by the people over the quota system.

"Ling must tell the cabinet the fact that non-bumiputra students constituted 70 percent of those enrolled in private colleges because they could not be admitted into public universities as a result of the racially discriminatory policy," said Chow.

The cabinet must address the issue of abusing the quota system if the government was serious in wanting Malaysia to become a centre of excellence in education, he added.