The Ministry of Education's Higher Education Department director Prof Dr Hassan Said told a press conference that the overall intake under the new meritocracy system proved critics of the system wrong.

The ministry's statistics showed that the intake of bumiputra students who qualified for entry at 67 percent, which was higher than the previous quota system of 55 percent in the report New Meritocracy sees more bumi students in public varsities (May 9).

Peninsular Malaysia Malay Students Association (GPMS) Suhaimi Ibrahim said the higher overall percentage of bumiputra students who qualified for entry into public universities (with meritocracy instead of affirmative policy) proved that they can succeed if they work hard.

What is the implication of the new policy? Does this mean that critics of the quota system and affirmative programme have been right all along that it actually act against the interest of the target group as it provided a disincentive to their striving for excellence?

Does the affirmative programme psychologically reverse discrimination unfairly against bumiputras 

  • non-bumiputra being also disadvantaged to the extent that they are forced to incur more money in enrolling in private or overseas colleges; and

  • the country as a whole being disadvantaged by brain-drain of top non-bumiputra students going abroad as well as the decline of overall educational standards all round that make many of our tertiary degrees unrecognised overseas.

    What surprises me is that what the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Department director has said actually leads directly to the inference that the Ministry of Education has failed, and is admitting that it has failed in its policies in relation to their intended objectives.

    The other matter arising is what is to be done next by the ministry to undo the depredations of the past.

    I am however surprised by PAS education bureau chairman Dr Hassan Ali's poser that the meritocracy system may not satisfy all the races in the country and if all Malaysians were ready for it.

    Malaysians have been touting the mantra "Malaysia boleh" as shown by scaling Mount Everest, dropping into South Pole with a Proton Saga, having the world's tallest twin towers and a currency control policy that repelled international currency predators which is now an inspiration throughout various emerging economies in Africa.

    In "Malaysia boleh" land, how could Dr Hassan Ali even think much less suggest publicly that Malaysians of all races are not satisfied by and not ready for meritocracy?

    This suggestion really takes the cake and negates every effort made by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to inspire his countrymen to strive for higher heights and punch above their weight class.

    The point however remains: Is PAS not ready or are Malaysians in general not ready for meritocracy? Is meritocracy a threat to theocracy advocated by PAS or is it the other way around — that theocracy makes meritocracy irrelevant? Which is which?