To many Malaysians, the deplorable cowhead protests incited by UMNO in Shah Alam section 23 three days before National Day over the relocation of a Hindu temple was strong evidence of the lack of seriousness and commitment of the Najib administration to the “1Malaysia concept” – which put Malaysia in the dock of world opinion with adverse international media reports scaring off intending investors with the spectre that Malaysia is on the verge of greater racial and religious polarisation and intolerance.
The announcement in the budget of the award of national scholarships to 30 crème de la crème students strictly on merit for educational studies in world renowned universities is not proof of 1Malaysia – but the very reverse, of the discriminatory and divisive nature of Barisan Nasional government policies in the name of NEP when they should be based on meritocracy coupled with socio-economic need and justice.
National scholarships to 30 crème de la crème students for world renowed universities is a paltry and most ridiculous figure 52 years after Merdeka.
In March this year, the then Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok announced that out of 2,000 Public Services Department scholarship scheme for foreign degrees, 20 per cent or 400 scholarships would be for excellent students, 60 per cent or 1,200 scholarships for bumiputra and non-bumiputra SPM leavers; 10 per cent for 200 scholarships for Sabah and Sarawak bumiputra SPM leavers; the remaining 10 per cent for disabled students who excelled in their studies.
Has the Barisan Nasional government again been misleading the people about the award of PSD scholarships based on “merit”?
Just one example to show the disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of Najib’s 1Malaysia.
Before the launch of the New Economic Policy in 1971, the racial breakdown of the Malaysian civil service comprised 60.8 per cent Malay, 20.2 per cent Chinese, 17.4 per cent Indian and 1.6 per cent others.
Some 35 years after the NEP in 2006, the already under-represented Chinese percentage in the Malaysian civil service had fallen further from 20.2 per cent to 9.37 per cent, while Indians who were somewhat over-represented with 17.4 per cent before the NEP were under-represented with 5.12 per cent.
On the first day of the current parliamentary meeting on 19th October, in reply to the question by the Penang Chief Minister and MP for Bagan, Lim Guan Eng, the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong said:
“Sehingga 31 September tahun ini, bilangan penjawat awam adalah seramai RM1,222,947 orang. Daripada jumlah tersebut, pecahan mengikut kaum adalah seperti berikut:-
Kaum Bilangan Peratus (%) Melayu 932,225 76.2 Cina 72,875 6 India 50,140 4.1 Lain-lain 167,707 13.7
It is clear that government promises in response to my speech on the Ninth Malaysia Plan in April 2006 to implement strategies to ensure a more balanced and multi-racial Malaysian civil service had been a total failure, with the worst racial ratios in the Malaysian civil service of Malays at 76.2 per cent, Chinese 6%, Indians 4.1% and Others 13.6%. What 1Malaysia is Najib talking about?
[Speech4 in Parliament on 2010 Budget on 29.10.2009]
#1 by donplaypuks on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 12:49 pm
YB
Who are these “Others” who comprise 13.6%. Are they not M’sians?
As to scholarships, I have commented in your blog several times not to be taken in by sly Civil Servants and Minsiters.
Aggregate ALL scholarships given out by Govt, Petronas, Mara, TNB, Telekom, MARA and other GLC’s and Statutory Bodies and ask the Minister to give you the allocation breakdown for the last 3 years, further analysed as to local vs overseas scholarships and key courses such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, Pharmacy etc. After all, it’s primarily TAXPAYERS’ money and we have a right to know!
Then we will get the real picture of the extent to which we have been misled as to the statistics concerning scholarships and who got them.
dpp
We are all of 1 race, the Human Race
The
#2 by k1980 on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 12:54 pm
What “1Malaysia” is Najib talking about?
It is the same as Jap PM Tojo talking about “The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” during the 1940s Jap invasion of Asia.
If the RM12,500,000,000 PKFZ scam were to be converted to scholarships, it would have benefited 25,000 students each receiving RM500,000!
#3 by k1980 on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 12:58 pm
//Who are these “Others” who comprise 13.6%. Are they not M’sians?//
Unless I am mistaken, this 13.6% include Bosnians, Albanians, Pakis, Arabs and muslim Africans such as Syrians, Sudanese ect. How true the peribahasa Kera di hutan disusui, anak di rumah mati kelaparan
#4 by Bigjoe on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 2:18 pm
What is 30 self-absorbed people no matter how intelligent or smart, going to do for the Malaysia? – literally zip. Given who they are, most of them will eventually leave, bumi or non-bumi, and even if they do stay, will do little for us…
I believe we need elites in a country to develop but its only by having a large group that we can find those few gems that will truly rise above everything and do the extraordinary that benefits all of us. A small group of elite does NOTHING.. BN rule is ample proof of that. 30 a year? Might as well just do a lottery in a village/rural area and send them overseas. They will get jobs overseas, send money home and their village will improve themselves. That will do more good.
Elitism is not a science, its a statistical gamble..
#5 by sheriff singh on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 2:21 pm
Who are the “Others” who comprise 13.6%?
They are the phantom civil servants who ‘work’ but are generally unseen. You can ‘see’ them everywhere. Their unoccupied desks, their presence at canteens, ‘attending endless seminars and khursus’, ‘melanconging sambil belanjaring’ etc etc.
We need them. Without them, the civil service will crumble. They are the ‘phantoms’ that make things happen.
#6 by sheriff singh on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 2:34 pm
“National scholarships to 30 crème de la crème students for world renowed universities…..”
How would anyone know how the 30 will be chosen?
If all 30 happen to come from one race, what will happen then?
#7 by undertaker888 on Friday, 30 October 2009 - 3:35 pm
//If all 30 happen to come from one race, what will happen then?///sheriff..
Then they will implement the quota system so that the cr@p de la cr@p can get the scholarship as well.
Just ignore what they are doing these 2 years. They are not sincere in what they are doing. Just vote them out.
#8 by taiking on Saturday, 31 October 2009 - 12:39 pm
Sheriff, my guess. It will be 70% umnoputras and 30% the rest. The real issue is unfair distribution of scholarship awards as a result of which we now have the Annual Begging Festival. The only country in the world where several hundred A-students are made to beg for scholarship money, during the Festival, to further their studies. Would 30 special places be sufficient? And given that 70% of the special places will be allocated to umnoputras, that would leave the rest of us with, wot?, 9 special places only.
Mark my word. The Annual Begging Festival is here to stay. Those of you here with kids now in Form 5 or Upper 6 be prepared for them to beg next year. Only those with parents who have deep pockets would be spared the trouble. An advice. When begging remember to address those in authority as “Tuans” (if they are not Dato or Tan Sri etc). They like it!
#9 by the reds on Sunday, 1 November 2009 - 1:23 pm
Will Chinese and Indian believe in 1Malaysia? 1Malaysia is no difference from the previous government (i.e., quota remains, NEP remains).