University admission based on meritocracy will only be feasible if the educational gap between urban and rural students was reduced, an opposition party said today.

Keadilan information chief Ruslan Kassim said that while meritocracy means equality to all, it may not necessarily be justified.

"The meritocracy system will make citizens from poor and rural areas without proper education facilities, suffer further.

"These very same people who have been sidelined and neglected will later be denied admission into higher learning institutions simply because of their poor examination results which are not at par with those from rich, urban backgrounds," he said in a statement to malaysiakini

Ruslan was commenting on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement recently that the government may adopt meritocracy where university intakes are concerned as a measure to curb students' 'unhealthy' involvement in politics.

Ruslan said that the quota system was introduced more than 30 years ago in order to allow poor students to gain access to better education facilities as those in urban areas enjoy.

"The quota system proved successful in producing many intellectuals from poor and neglected families.

"The poverty gap has also been reduced since these students graduated and joined the workforce and subsequently helped their families economically," he said.

Oppressed and ignorant

Ruslan stressed that students who needed the backing of the quota system should not be penalised merely because of other bumiputra students who do not support the ruling coalition.

"We should ask why these students do not support the government. The ruling coalition should actually create a conducive and people-friendly situation and not take cruel actions such as denying their rights instead," said Ruslan.

He added that the rise of student movements was a manifestation of dynamic students in the making, which has produced great politicians in the past.

"Do we want to see the future generation of leaders to come from oppressed and ignorant students who were forced to concentrate on their studies without paying heed to the nation's developments?" he asked.

Ruslan added that the proposal to introduce meritocracy in university admissions was due to Mahathir's resentment towards 80 percent of students from higher learning institutions who are questioning his leadership and policies.

"When Dr Mahathir was dismissed by the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj on July 12,1974 he also tried to influence students from Universiti Malaya to protest.

"And now, why should he impose various restrictions and pressure against students who speak against his policies?" he added.