Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government is ambivalent toward the vast array of Malay-favouring programmes to avoid antagonising its non-Malay base. This makes it easy for Perikatan Nasional to paint them as meek and passive about Malay interests, says Malaysia expert Lee Hwok-Aun.
POLITICALLY VOLATILE QUESTIONS
. But there are more consequential matters. Although the prime minister and the student appeared to clash, both raised some valid and non-contradicting points. Alas, consumed by biases and blind spots, they talked past each other. Mr Anwar highlighted the plight of the economically disadvantaged Bumiputera student, but what of the disadvantaged non-Bumiputera? Mr Anwar leaned on a morally appealing but logically ill-fitting example of the graduate of an impoverished school to justify ethnic quotas, omitting the many Bumiputera matriculation students who come from well-resourced schools.
Mr Anwar cannot overhaul the matriculation system, but he can enhance it, such as by systematically clarifying how merit-based selection operates, and by incorporating socioeconomic elements into admissions processes, which would also reinforce his administration’s mission to look out for the poor.
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