"The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, said today any move which QUESTIONS the interests of the Malays and Bumiputeras in terms of scholarships and places of study not only VIOLATES the fundamental provisions in the Federal and State Constitutions but also QUESTIONS the sovereignty of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers...."
Quote
"What is being QUESTIONED is the MANNER in which the scholarship system is being implemented.
The scholarship awarding system must be based on the principles of justice and equitability.
Although the Constitution gives special rights to the Malays and Bumiputras in terms of place of study, it is in no way drafted to deny equal rights be given to the non-Malays.
The basic idea of this provision is to ensure social justice, NOT made to serve or justify a chauvinistic end."
- Khalid Samad, MP Shah Alam
The Monarch represents an important institution in the country.A Constitutional Monarch is supposed to be a symbol of Unity and Sovereignty of ALL Malaysians, not just the Malays or Bumiputeras.
(The Perak Sultan's) statement is NOT going to help us to look beyond the question of race, when addressing the issue of educational opportunity in the country.
He should have encouraged the Government to CORRECT the FLAWS in the scholarship and university admission processes so that the issue of deprivation and unfairness can be solved once and for all.
His statement will leave a deep impact on the society's direction and nation building.
- Khoo Kay Peng, Political Analyst
Raja Azlan Shah was born on April 19, 1928.
That makes the Perak Sultan 81 years old today when he made that comment.
That makes the Perak Sultan 81 years old today when he made that comment.
Malaysians Bewildered by Perak Sultan’s ‘Malay Interests’ Remarks
EXCERPTS: Read here article by Syed Jaymal Zahid for more
By equating any questioning of Malay interests and scholarship quotas to the sovereignty of the rulers, Perak’s Sultan Azlan Shah has been met with incredulous response.
Shah Alam PAS MP,Khalid Samad believes NO ONE is questioning the rights of the Malays in terms of their places in educational institutions NOR was there any move to question their rights to scholarship.
MP Khalid said,
“What is being questioned is the manner in which the scholarship system is being implemented. The scholarship awarding system must be based on the principles of justice and equitability.It is believed that the Perak ruler’s statement was made in reference to the recent call made by the DAP to stop ethnic profiling when awarding scholarships.
Although the constitution gives special rights to the Malays and Bumiputras in terms of place of study, it is in no way drafted to deny equal rights be given to the non-Malays.
The basic idea of this provision is to ensure social justice, not made to serve or justify a chauvinistic end."
Bar Council president K Ragunath when contacted for comments said he doesn’t see how the call for better education opportunities to be awarded to deserving non-Malay students violates the country’s constitutions.
He said,
“I think this is a question of interpretation. I don’t think there is a move to question the rights of the Malays to education but a just demand that non-Malays who are doing well in their studies should be allowed the same opportunities.
The country’s broken scholarship system has already damaged the country’s economy with more and more good students pursuing education and employment opportunities overseas due to the lack of chances back home.
So the whole matter is NOT about questioning the sovereignty of the Malay rulers or the Agong, it’s just a call for justice to be served."
The DAP’s Lim Kit Siang when contacted said he would only give his comments soon saying he has yet to read what the Perak ruler had said.But he said that if the prime minister wants to fulfill his 1-Malaysia promise, then he must move away from ethnic profiling, especially in awarding scholarships.
Lim also pointed out that Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s plan to limit the number of SPM subjects taken by each student was only an “ad hoc solution” and does not go to the root cause of the problem. “Even if you reduce the number of papers, it would not solve the problem unless there is a fair and transparent system. I think there is a need for a total revamp,” he said.
COMMENTARY
Sultan of Perak & Non-Racism
Excerpts: Read here for more in Straight Talk Blog
"The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, said any move which questions the interests of the Malays and Bumiputeras in terms of scholarships and places of study not only violates the fundamental provisions in the federal and state constitutions but also questions the sovereignty of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers.The monarch represents an important institution in the country.
He said Clause 2 of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution provided the King with specific powers to safeguard the interests of the Malays as well as the Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak in terms of scholarships and places of study."
Hence, his statement above is NOT going to help us to look beyond the question of race when addressing the issue of educational opportunity in the country.
- Is it racist when a non-Malay student demands his right to a place in a local university or to be given a scholarship if he/she did exceptionally well in a public exam?
- Isn't it problematic if a remarkable student was not offered a course of choice in a local university or being denied a scholarship to pursue higher education but an opportunity was given to a less remarkable one?
It does not have to be a zero sum game.
Giving more places of study and scholarships to more non-Malay Malaysians does not have to come at the expense of the Malays. Any government would have been proud to provide opportunities to its people especially youths to acquire the highest level of education possible so that they can return to contribute to the country's development.
It is no longer an issue about the Malay rights or supremacism.
It is about retaining the best brains in the country. Most knowledge based economies are no longer merely competing for FDI but FHCI (Foreign Human Capital Investment).
Hence, the Sultan of Perak should have asked the government to try to accommodate as many bright Malaysian students as possible, regardless of race or creed, by offering them places in the local universities or giving them scholarships to study abroad.
He should have encouraged the government to correct the flaws in the scholarship and university admission processes so that the issue of deprivation and unfairness can be solved once and for all.
Instead, his warning to the complainants not to question these rights (access to scholarships and places of study) because their action is akin to challenging his sovereignty and authority is most unfortunate and unproductive.
A constitutional monarch is supposed to be a symbol of unity and sovereignty of ALL Malaysians, not just the Malays or Bumiputeras.
His statement will leave a deep impact on the society's direction and nation building.
On race relations, this country has a long bumpy road ahead to travel.
7 comments:
How can one comment when there were already more than 10 persons formally charged with insulting the sultan...
To say the least, the Sultan's remarks are disappointing. Who are His subjects? The part of the whole or the sum of the whole? He had missed the bigger picture altogether.
which is why the whole educational system in Malaysia is going down the drain? All the bright sparks have gone to some other countries while only the rusty and jaded ones are still in the country. Does one knows the the inventor of pen-drive is from Malaysia and yet he can only achieve it in another country. There are countless excellent workforce outside of Malaysia who call themselves Malaysians. After all the hardwork and money is spend in nurturing a 7 year-old to become an excellent student only to hand them over to another country is what Malaysia Boleh is all about. With respect to what the Sultan (Daulat Tuanku) says, it's high time to weigh rhe pros and cons of the whole educational system. Is moral and self esteem much more important the quality. What's the use if the country is run by unqualified personnel. Why does the ministers, deputies and high ranking officials send their own children abroad to study and not in our very own universities.It's becoz they have lost faith in our universities. And yet the education ministry can go about claiming how high rank our universities are place. With the present educational system, I believe the future of our country is slowly but surely being flush down the toilet bowl. During my time, any benefits is strictly based on merits and capabilities. You can call yourself a Malaysian but are you a loyal and true Malaysians? A loyal and true Malaysian puts his country above all other things and not oneself above the country. Which is why the rate of corruptions is so high in our country. It's because a lot of people have this mentality that once they attain a high position in the govt. they are going to be very, very rich.
Hi once again MUU!
This isn't really a comment related to your post. Just a suggestion.
You've got good content on this blog.
However, the contrasts on the blog may not exactly be too easy on the eyes.
I suggest that you make it less colorful and use more pastel colors which are more soothing to the eye.
Cheers.
If Malaysian universities are that good, then our former Education Minister and other ministers need not send their children overseas for education. This is a slap on their own faces!
Will it not be a good idea if the 'lackeys' in UMNO - that is - those who do the runner jobs for the Elite to ask the Public Services Department the Names of the students who obtained Scholarships not only from the Federal Government but also the States and the various Quangos - AND the names of the Fathers and Mothers so that the Malays - made to beam with priide when termned Bumiputras - can find out how they have been used and shortcharged and cheated by the Right Hon'bles and MPs and ADUNs and so forth - whilst their own children are living it out as Mat Rempits.
They will ten find out that it is their own kind that has swindled them left right and centre whilst calling for Unity and Race and Religion as call words.
It does not matte if no official reply comes out but making the question an open issue should help to give the downtrodden Malays a better stake in the massive cake which MCA seems to enjoy at the final analysis .
So we have a LP talking PL!
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