UiTM controversy: Prioritise needs of entire nation

 

UiTM’s refusal to accept ethnic minorities into its specialists’ programme has sparked public concern and controversy.

This is because education has always been valued by most people in Malaysia, especially parents, who consider it as the pathway to a better future for themselves and the nation.

Any attempt that is seen as discriminating against certain groups in favour of another would obviously invite criticism and condemnation.

Andrew Sia’s controversial article in Malaysiakini should be seen in this light, regardless of how such discrimination is described or labelled.

The university’s refusal to allow ethnic minority postgraduate students into its cardiothoracic surgery programme - the only one of its kind in the country - not only affects these minority students.

It also has a critical impact on the nation’s public healthcare system, which is saddled with long queues of patients of all ethnicities who desperately need surgery.

Instead of raising a ruckus, the likes of Umno Youth leader Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should compose himself and write a lucid article to counter Sia’s arguments on why he feels such discrimination is needed in this day and age.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

Such a civilised discourse would be instructive for everyone else in the country. Incidentally, if UiTM should remain solely in the hands of the ethnic Malays because there are still so many Malays who need education at a cheaper rate, Akmal and his friends should explain why there is so much poverty after six decades of independence.

Instead of entrenching the ethnic divide and protecting one’s own turf, we must look for solutions that prioritise the needs of the entire country, including those of the students and of the patients who badly need surgery. - Mkini

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This article was originally published on Aliran.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.