Kula slams 'admit foreigners, not local non-bumis' policy
DAP national vice-chairperson M Kulasegaran said
today that reports of foreign students being provided seats at
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) while local non-bumiputera students
continue to be denied entry were "a travesty of justice".
The MP for Ipoh Barat said he continues to hear reports that foreign students have gained admission to UiTM, a fact that was confirmed in Parliament last year by Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.
"I
raised in Parliament last year the issue of admission of foreign
students into UiTM and Kamalanthan rationalised the matter by saying
that the foreigners were needed to enable bumiputera students to connect
at the international level," recalled Kulasegaran.
"Practically, the government was saying that interaction of bumiputera students with foreigners was more important than interaction between bumi and local non-bumi students," remarked the federal legislator.
Kulasegaran recalled that in 2008, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim called for the allocation of 10 percent of UiTM's overall places to non-bumiputeras and foreign students to facilitate interaction and exposure of local students with others of different ethnic and geographic backgrounds.
"But the proposal was ignored by the federal government which was then led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," said the MP.
"Today, we hear of foreign students being accepted for admission to a university that is funded by local taxpayers' money but no non-bumiputeras are allowed in for study.
"This policy is void of logic and its formulators are devoid of the embarrassment of being known as 1Malaysia proponents," remarked Kulasegaran sardonically.
The MP for Ipoh Barat said he continues to hear reports that foreign students have gained admission to UiTM, a fact that was confirmed in Parliament last year by Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.
"I
raised in Parliament last year the issue of admission of foreign
students into UiTM and Kamalanthan rationalised the matter by saying
that the foreigners were needed to enable bumiputera students to connect
at the international level," recalled Kulasegaran."Practically, the government was saying that interaction of bumiputera students with foreigners was more important than interaction between bumi and local non-bumi students," remarked the federal legislator.
Kulasegaran recalled that in 2008, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim called for the allocation of 10 percent of UiTM's overall places to non-bumiputeras and foreign students to facilitate interaction and exposure of local students with others of different ethnic and geographic backgrounds.
"But the proposal was ignored by the federal government which was then led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," said the MP.
"Today, we hear of foreign students being accepted for admission to a university that is funded by local taxpayers' money but no non-bumiputeras are allowed in for study.
"This policy is void of logic and its formulators are devoid of the embarrassment of being known as 1Malaysia proponents," remarked Kulasegaran sardonically.
1 Malaysia Lah
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