Kit Siang: Why must deserving Malaysian students always beg for scholarships?

The same case happened again and again and again.....One Malaysia ....My footlah

By Melissa Loovi

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 – DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang is demanding answers from the government as to why Malaysian students with straight A results must continue to appeal year after year to obtain scholarships for their higher education.

“These students with nine 1As and onwards should automatically qualify for scholarships, especially now that the new prime minister has promised to put the people first,” said Lim.

“If (Prime Minister) Najib (Razak) is really serious about his 1Malaysia ideal of ‘People First’ and ‘Performance Now’, then why are we still reduced to begging each year?” Lim told reporters here today.

Lim’s remarks today was in reference to a recent newspaper report in which a minister said that under the new PSD scholarship scheme agreed to by the Cabinet two months ago, 20 per cent or 400 of the 2,000 scholarships offered this year were for excellent students while 60 per cent were for bumiputra and non-bumiputra SPM leavers nationwide. The remaining 20 per cent was split evenly between East Malaysian bumiputra SPM leavers and disabled students who excelled in their studies.

“If it was decided two months ago, then why is it not being implemented? Does this mean the Cabinet decision is a sham? All Cabinet ministers should explain why they lack the political will to implement a decision they had made previously?” asked the Ipoh Timur MP.

Lim also cited yesterday’s statement by MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat who said that a meeting would be held among Barisan Nasional component party leaders, the PSD director-general and the Chief Secretary to the Government to discuss the matter and reconsider rejected cases.

He then questioned a separate news report in which PSD director Tan Sri Ismail Adam said there would be no review of the selection criteria for PSD scholarships.

“Does this mean Ong Tee Keat is lying?” queried Lim. “Or is the PSD sabotaging the Cabinet?”

DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua and Teratai state assemblyman Jenice Lee added that the never-ending controversy over the award of government scholarships needed to be addressed conclusively to prevent the same issue from cropping up repeatedly.