For decades, nobody knows the exact number of bumiputra and non-bumiputra tertiary students in Malaysia - not even the government. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was quoted in The Star (May 22), as saying: "Umno will carry out a survey to find out the actual number of bumiputra and non-bumiputra students at the tertiary level.

This will include students in private universities, colleges and those who are currently studying overseas, to study numbers of bumiputra students in tertiary education all over the world."

Though he claims to champion the welfare and rights of bumiputras, the statement above shows that Mahathir and his ministers have other priorities in mind - sorry, your education is not on their list! They have no clue whatsoever nor interest in regard to what's happening in the education of bumiputras in Malaysia.

Although boasting K-economy, MSC, world's tallest buildings, biggest this and longest that, we are not able to find anywhere in the country (not even from the Education Ministry) a decisive headcount of the student composition in Malaysia. This goes to show the level of interest the government has on education in the past 20 years, be it for the bumiputra or the non-bumiputra students.