Lawyer Slams Maszlee for Saying Matriculation Quota is Needed Because Other Races Are Rich
The matriculation quota comment by our Minister of Education, Dr Maszlee, has been the talk of the nation for the past several days.
Many took to social media to express their thoughts about it and this was the same for lawyer and activist Siti Kasim who felt strongly about it. Yesterday (19 May), she wrote an open letter to Maszlee explaining why what he said was inappropriate on so many levels. Here’s the breakdown of what she wrote:
1. Maszlee spoke as if all non-bumis are rich and therefore the quota must remain.
“You gave an example of the difference between public and private universities. You said the private universities are mostly filled with non-bumis because they are better off than the Malays.
“It is not true all non-bumis are rich therefore the quotas must remain to enable the Bumis to compete on an equal footing.”
“It is not true all non-bumis are rich therefore the quotas must remain to enable the Bumis to compete on an equal footing.”
2. It insults hard-working Malay parents who do not rely on government handouts and also the Malays in general that compete on their own merit
Assuming that bumiputeras need the ‘help’ to get in to universities by relying on the quota reduces their merit and acknowledgement of their own hardwork of being capable of landing the spot on their own.
3. Pulling out figures from the Parliament in 2015, Siti Kassim breaks down the income group based on race to paint a clearer picture.
Assuming that bumiputeras need the ‘help’ to get in to universities by relying on the quota reduces their merit and acknowledgement of their own hardwork of being capable of landing the spot on their own.
3. Pulling out figures from the Parliament in 2015, Siti Kassim breaks down the income group based on race to paint a clearer picture.
She reveals that Bumiputeras actually make up the majority of high income earners at 53.81%, while Chinese is at 37.05%, Indians at 8.80%, and others at 0.34%.
As for a breakdown among their own race, it was:
Bumiputeras: 16.34% (T20), 38.96% (M40), 44.7% (B40)
Chinese: 29.66% (T20), 42.32% (M40), 28.02% (B40)
Indians: 19.98% (T20), 41.31% (M40), 38.71% (B40)
*(T20) High income group, (M40) Middle income group, (B40) Low income group
Chinese: 29.66% (T20), 42.32% (M40), 28.02% (B40)
Indians: 19.98% (T20), 41.31% (M40), 38.71% (B40)
*(T20) High income group, (M40) Middle income group, (B40) Low income group
She challenges Maszlee to think why there’s a disparity and that the group is seeing a wide income gap, instead of pointing fingers at others.
4. She says that private universities are filled with non-bumis NOT because they are rich
It’s simply because they can not afford to send their children to overseas universities.
“Most if not all of the scholarships are given to Bumis. They can’t gain entry to public universities due to the quotas despite having better results than Bumis. Where do you expect them to go then Maszlee?
“I know of many non-bumis who are scraping their barrels to ensure they send their kids to further their studies either locally or overseas. Many of them have less children because they know they will have to pay for their kid’s education in the future.”
“I know of many non-bumis who are scraping their barrels to ensure they send their kids to further their studies either locally or overseas. Many of them have less children because they know they will have to pay for their kid’s education in the future.”
5. She shot down Maszlee’s claim that the foreign university branches in Malaysia is filled up by non-bumis as somehow the reason Malays need more places in public universities via matriculation.
She adds, “Schemes favouring Malays were once deemed essential to improve the lot of Malaysia’s least wealthy racial group; but it can be seen that this scheme is to help the well-off within the Malay group, while failing the poor.”
The ultimate message to her post is that equating matriculation to wealth of certain racial groups is failing the poor – no matter your skin colour.
I agree with all of the above except the specific focus on Toonsie's son, as if implying Toonsie alone is to blame for the education mess we are in. Children of many politicians have benefited from their parents' positions of power, Jibby included, so the constant blame on one person is unwarranted and unjustified.
ReplyDeleteToonsie was Education Minister a long long time ago, from 1974-1978, and since then there have been SIXTEEN education ministers, all from ONE RACE, ONE COALITION PARTY who could have corrected Toonsie's mistakes, BUT THEY DIDN'T.
WHY?
And if we say Toonsie was PM for 22 years, well after he retired in 2003 there were two PMs who DID NOTHING FOR FIFTEEN YEARS to correct the education mess BUT AGAIN THEY DIDN'T.
WHY?
Sorry for the CAPS.
Agreed with you.
DeleteMahathir ain't no angel, but the blogger here is dishonestly pushing a hidden agenda.
A New Malaysia is not a referendum for the executive and the legislative to make any decision to stop the affirmative actions.
ReplyDeleteGranted, a racialised matriculation is a chancy policy though; nevertheless, this educational programme is still the most feasible way to correct the 'divide and rule' legacy left by the colonialist. The 50% of the voters must accept that at this juncture, it is still a long way forward to reconcile the imbalances endured by the economically disadvantaged بوميڤوترا .
By the bye, I heard of untold scholars who have completed their internship in government hospitals are without jobs, and the government does not know how to resolve this problem. Common man.. this is more pressing than matriculation lah!
Wakakakakaka…
ReplyDelete"…untold scholars who have completed their internship in government hospitals are without jobs, and the government does not know how to resolve this problem."
Only rd moron like u can't/refuse to see the link!
It's exactly the lopsided educational policies such as matriculation, khusus asasi & passing mark tweakings, that r the main cause of jobless graduates.
These policies flood the labour market with poorly qualified 'scholars' of dubious abilities & skills.
Part of they been unemployable is bcoz their bases r low both in mental & academic prerequisites. They usually require to take longer than necessarily internship training. Thus holding up the qualification process. Moreover, they r also been trained by equally lousy lalang tutors who r the earlier products of such policies.
IFF no such affirmative handicaps r been applied then the nation would have highly qualified professionals who can no ONLY perform the job well but ALSO create new opportunities to increase the employment pools.
Instead, these morons r treadmilling on a neverending quest for tongkat. When their dreamed lifestyle fails to solidify, due to their own pitfalls, they cry father mother to the sugar daddy for more tongkat! Thus continue the unemployable cycle.
Lagi teruk: "divide and rule' legacy left by the colonialist. The 50% of the voters must accept that at this juncture, it is still a long way forward to reconcile the imbalances endured by the economically disadvantaged"
50+ yrs of positive affirmative action CAN correct the past ills & yet still want to continue perpetuate the same issue of legitimization of a racist policy based on the past victim status of a subject.
Exactly as Salvoj Zizek termed a misappropriation of the natural justice to hide the incompetency in race rejuvenation!
With all those statistics of income, isn't it clear that all affirmative policies based on race should be done with in New Malaysia and any current or new affirmative policies should be based on Needs?
ReplyDeleteIf those statistics on Bumiputeras are further broken down by all the races (Malays, East Malaysians, Orang Asal etc) it would not be surprising that the B40 Bumiputeras are in fact majority populated by East Malaysians and Orang Asal and the top T20 Bumiputeras are practically all Malays.