By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
May 21, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — The DAP questioned how the government could make a “silly” mistake in not granting scholarships to top students despite spending billions on information technology.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly ordered the Public Service Department (PSD) yesterday to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.
“Isn’t spending billions of ringgit on computerisation a waste of public funds when the federal government cannot even correct the simple but silly mistake of not granting scholarships to top students?” DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said in a statement today.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, stressed that his ministry was not to blame as its list of scholarship candidates had already been forwarded.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who is also the MCA Youth chief, reportedly said last Wednesday that government officers who disobeyed Cabinet directives were one of the main reasons why top deserving students failed to get scholarships.
Lim repeated his party’s call for a full investigation into the annual problem of top-scoring students not being granted PSD scholarships while lower-performing students were given overseas scholarships instead.
“Malaysians are puzzled as to how this blunder by fumbling officials can even occur,” he said.
“In this day and age, with computerised databases and the amount of technology available, how can such a straightforward process of awarding scholarships to top students end up so botched?” asked the Penang chief minister.
He pointed out that the government spent about RM2 billion on IT infrastructure and services last year, according to the Malaysia Information Technology Report for Q2 2011.
“Every year, billions of ringgit are spent on upgrading and maintaining government IT systems, yet errors of this magnitude can still occur,” said the Bagan MP.
Lim added that it was a “no brainer” to correct the error, urging the government to award deserving students with scholarships immediately.
He also said it was “preposterous” for the government to ask deserving students to appeal for the PSD scholarships.
“To do so is akin to punishing them for a fault that is not theirs!” he said.
“The federal government had better get their act together or risk losing more Malaysian talent to other countries who must be laughing their heads off at our sheer incompetence,” he said.
MCA Youth accused the DAP yesterday of exploiting the controversy for political gain and not to help top scorers overlooked by the PSD.
MCA Youth secretary-general Datuk Chai Kim Sen said the opposition party was only good at “instigating problems” to curry favour with voters but had so far failed to propose solutions to the annual problem.
Chai said MCA Youth was already busy reviewing scholarship appeals to help “victimised” top students but the DAP was slowing matters down by making the public “restless and impulsive” and unable to think clearly.
He also said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision to give PSD scholarships to all students who achieve 8A+ in the SPM regardless of race was because of the MCA’s constant insistence.
Wee said last Thursday that some 363 straight A+ students who deserved to be funded to study abroad had lost out to those with lower grades.
#1 by dcasey on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 6:03 pm
These pea-brained MCA lap-dogs like the characters quoted in this article can give such warped reasons and excuses, I really don’t want to make anymore comments….I only want to save my breath and energy and wait until the coming GE13 so that I can clap my hands when there’s a change of tenant in Putrajaya. Sigh!!!
#2 by pulau_sibu on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 6:32 pm
you all argued about the scholarship for studying overseas, because of our lack of confidence mentality. If you are recognised for local universities, automatically you think that it is less good….?
A group of idiot politicians who fooled around with the people’s money. There should be no scholarships for studying undergraduate degrees overseas. This can be done at the local universities. Money should be spent for more advanced degrees overseas.
#3 by Ordinary on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 6:41 pm
MCA thinks they are doing great job to appeal.
In the first place, those merit students should be given full scholarship and no need to appeal.
Every year, we see MCA doing great appeal. This is actually MCA being the maid of UMNO, so they have to appeal.
#4 by yhsiew on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 6:50 pm
Come on, it is not a “silly” mistake. It is plain blatant discrimination!
#5 by ktteokt on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 7:15 pm
What can computerization do to Malaysia who still believes that PRIMITIVE IDEAS are ALWAYS THE BEST!
Despite having fixed up COMPUTERIZED TRAFFIC LIGHTS, our diligent PDRM personnel still believes that it is best to revert to what they do to direct traffic in the fifties. Even when the traffic lights are working perfectly well, they like to stand in the centre of road junctions and blow their whistles and wave their hands, directing traffic to move when the LIGHT IS RED and to stop when the LIGHT IS GREEN! They think they are BETTER THAN COMPUTERS!!~!~!!!!
#6 by DAP man on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 8:23 pm
Only idiots will believe that this is all because of a computer glitch.
Why should the computer cause problems only to non-Bumiputra students.
Oh, maybe it is a Bumiputra computer.
#7 by baochingtian on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 8:36 pm
//Chai said MCA Youth was already busy reviewing scholarship appeals to help “victimised” top students but the DAP was slowing matters down by making the public “restless and impulsive” and unable to think clearly.//
If Wee in his tweet stated that awarding scholarship is under JPA not the Education ministry, why MCA is handling the appeals? Why such matter is not thrown back to JPA to review the full list and have them submit a report to the Education Dept ? JPA owes the Education Dept and the rakyat an explanation why the top best students were “accidentally excluded” year after year.
#8 by baochingtian on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 8:44 pm
//Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly ordered the Public Service Department (PSD) yesterday to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.//
So this time the DPM can order PSD to investigate when matters directly under Education Dept ie. teachers with racist remarks was out of his jurisdiction to mete out any punishment. That’s an improvement, keep it up, moo!
#9 by tak tahan on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 8:59 pm
I just found out that their computers were infected with endemic sex related disease from all kind of virus frequently downloaded from porno sites.And Nazri will say this is also NORM! NORM!Tak kan tak tau perangai mereka macam tu!Normal la!Yo man!
#10 by dagen on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 9:42 pm
Its the season of begging again. The annual begging festival is an integral part of ketuanan melayu. It is one significant event which portrays and affirms their supremacy. How can umno ever do away with it? Impossible I say.
#11 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 10:40 pm
If you are still not clear which direction the present Gomen is driving to, then you better stop thinking! You would be better off! This nation is being driven towards the valley of no return with the Driver and his supporters ready to jump off the bus very soon. We had spent billions on projects which laid waste evrywhere. They are not bothered with brain drain, they will soon join those Arab leaders; provided we all know what to do !
#12 by Godfather on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 10:52 pm
We are absolutely clear what the “glitch” was. It is called “cheating”. They give out all the scholarships to less deserving students, then the deserving students have to shout, scream, beg and then the gomen will increase its budget for these students. Everybody goes home happy – the less deserving students, the more deserving students, the gomen, MCA and UMNO. Except the taxpayer gets scr@wed because the less deserving students were not supposed to be there in the first place.
We are not stupid, MCA.
#13 by drngsc on Saturday, 21 May 2011 - 11:13 pm
Oversight, my foot. Computer glitch, my foot. Caught red-handed with an election at stake. Now the big cover up. The sandiwara begins.
It simply shows the importance of a strong opposition and a need to change the government.
Without a strong opposition pushing the government, they would have just ignore the calls.
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya.
#14 by passerby on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 2:13 am
It is not an oversight or a mistake. They checked through everything to make sure you are not given the scholarships. Period.
#15 by cemerlang on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 7:05 am
Until today, most privileges go to the Malays and Bumiputras. Face it. Accept this ugly truth. If you do not like it, you can always go to Brunei because while it is Islamic, it pays more and money does console to a certain degree. Malaysia is a country governed by Malays and Bumiputras majority with its’ official religion as Islam short sightedly agreed on by Malaysia’s founding fathers of non Malay origin.
#16 by Godfather on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 8:08 am
Disobeyed orders ? Does anyone want to bet that the officers concerned will be disciplined or fired or promoted ?
#17 by negarawan on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 8:13 am
Basically, UMNO/MCA/MIC/Gerakan have caused Malaysia to be what it is today – a failed state. Vote them out in the next GE!
#18 by Cinapek on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 10:07 am
I take exceptions to the following comments:
[Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly ordered the Public Service Department (PSD) yesterday to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.]
It is stupid to ask the cat to guard the mouse. Lets not pussy foot around. We all know how this happened and who are the culprits. The PSD should be investigated by an independent party and the guilty officers disciplined to stop this annual rubbish charade once and for all.
[He also said it was “preposterous” for the government to ask deserving students to appeal for the PSD scholarships.]
LGE is absolutely correct. The deserving students did not create this problem. PSD idiots did. Let them clean up their own shit. Why should the deserving students have to humiliate themselves further by having to beg for what has already been promised them? And it can be expected if they appeal they will be met by hostile PSD officers who has been caught out and will be determined to find every small reason to make life difficult for these appealers.
[MCA Youth secretary-general Datuk Chai Kim Sen said the opposition party was only good at “instigating problems” to curry favour with voters but had so far failed to propose solutions to the annual problem.]
Dear Datuk. MCA is the problem, not the solution. Despite all the BN Govt promises, of which MCA is a component, it has repeatedly renegaded on them. To the layman, it seems as if the BN Govt deliberately created the problem repeatedly in order to “allow” MCA to capitalise on it so it can appear to be the “hero”. If MCA is doing its job, this problem should not be happening year after year. Enough is enough.
And in case those Perkasa bigots entertains any thought of twisting this issue as another non bumi demand and provoking the Malays, let me remind that the criteria which has been violated by PSD again was promised by the Cabinet and announced by none other than the PM himself. The non bumis are not asking one iota more than what has been promised (but which they deserved anyway on merit ) but was again deprived of.
#19 by k1980 on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 10:38 am
Wee Ka Siong revealed last week that 363 straight A+ students failed to get the scholarships this year although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had agreed that all students scoring 8A+ and above will receive the PSD scholarships after a similar brouhaha last year. Those 363 straight A+ students who deserved to be funded to study abroad had lost out to those with lower grades.
So what do you all expect with jib’s slogan of 1malaysia? It is just a means to attract the stupid matasepets and kaki botois to vote for bn and perpetuate its rule forever
#20 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 11:25 am
Ministers, their Deputies and the Cabinet are only seat warmers who come and go. Many are crackpots and decorative items with not much value.
It is the civil servant ‘Little Napoleons’ who rule.
Got it?
#21 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 11:26 am
NOT moderated today? It must be my lucky day. Must buy some lottery tickets.
#22 by tak tahan on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 12:01 pm
Years of incompetent and discrimination policy by Umno/BN abeted by its component parties is the cause of this prolong predicament we are in.Tak Nak to BN once and for all.
#23 by k1980 on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 12:30 pm
matasepet with 10A+ awarded matriculation scholarship in USM, while “tuan” with 6A+ awarded scholarship to USA to study horticulture ( can open florist shop in Bangsar after enjoying 5 years there)—- this is the real meaning of 1malaysia
#24 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 3:20 pm
That is what they understand of the meaning of ‘1Malaysia’.
What is the point of have members of BN component parties as Ministers, Deputies etc when they all do not know what is happening below them in their Ministries?
Ministers now have to fire-fight their own staff? This is ridiculous.
#25 by baochingtian on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 3:58 pm
#23 by k1980.
U r right. Someone got 10A+ (SPM 2010) and was considered lucky to get into matriculation. Her application for scholarship was rejected by JPA , appealed thru’ MCA also got rejected by MCA. What MCA doing was tidying up the mess JPA did, compiled the documents properly for JPA to vet thru’ again and of course, that’s at the mercy of JPA to entertain MCA, as I see it.
#26 by pulau_sibu on Sunday, 22 May 2011 - 9:32 pm
What a stupid nation like Malaysia.
Is there another nation who sent all A+ secondary school students out of the country?
Is there another nation who cannot teach A+ students?
Is there another nation who has so many A+ students?
Is there another nation who is so rich?
#27 by bush on Monday, 23 May 2011 - 12:32 pm
This is not a “mistake” made but intended to drive all the intelligent Chinese from Malaysia due to the discriminate policy. ” Mistake” will not repeat for years.
DAP should propose to the G on how to have a “PREVENTIVE MEASURE” on this issue from happen again by asking the G to set up a committee comprise of 4 major races (MIC, MCA, Umno…etc) to approve the scholar based on JPA’s recommendation.
Why MCA only good in getting publicity to get it right yearly instead of proposing a “preventive measure” to counter the little “NAP” discrimination.