1. I would like to commend Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for having the wisdom to be open-minded and thinking like a Malaysian with his proposal to open up 10% of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) intakes to non-Bumiputeras and foreign students.

2. Despite our political differences, I am convinced that his multi-racial outlook on higher education will have a positive impact on the future generation of Malaysians. This is the quality that a Malaysian leader must have if the country were to move forward.

3. On the contrary, vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah, who hit out at Khalid for his progressive view, is doing a great disservice to his own university.

4. As an educator and administrator of an institution of higher learning, Prof Ibrahim should be proud if more Malaysians are keen to enrol in UiTM instead of reserving the university exlusively for Bumiputeras.

5. Furthermore, UiTM is funded by taxpayers’ money that come from all Malaysians, regardless of race. If this is the case, why deprieve some segments of the society to preserve an outdated practice that would not serve the cause of inter-racial unity?

6. Some quarters also claimed that Khalid’s remark was “political motivated” without realising that they are also politicising the matter. Instead of just criticising Khalid, they should consider whether the suggestion has its merits.

7. After all, Khalid reckoned that the proposed 10% intakes of non-Bumiputeras and foreign students could led more competition among the students. In the end, it may be a win-win proposition which will benefit Bumiputera students as competition will produce more competent graduates.

8. Time has changed and we must follow the changes of time where multi-racial approach is the way forward. Therefore, the decision to continue preventing other races from enrolling in UiTM is clearly wrong.

9. Such segregation will not only discourages competition but deters the Bumiputeras from understanding the non-Bumiputeras and vice-versa.

10. We must not forget that students are the assets of the country and we rely on their knowledge to achieve Vision 2020 with Malaysia being a developed country. Towards this end, the government must encourage Malaysians to work together and it should start from our education system.

11. It is totally pointless to implement a three-month National Service programme just to instill patriotism and to forge national unity among the younger generation when these could be done with them studying together for several years in the university.

Datuk Ng Chiang Chin,
National Treasurer of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (PGRM),
PGRM Kelantan State Liason Committee Chairman