This news was the headline of NST today. What are my views on this?
As I have said before, I totally support this stand as we have so many local public and private universities in the country. There is no need for us to send our citizens to the foreign universities using our tax payers money. However, I have one question: Will MARA follow the same principle?
Probably many do not know that MARA sponsors more students to overseas universities than JPA. For medical courses alone, MARA send about 300-400 students annually. Where did the money come from? MARA scholarships and loans are only for Bumiputeras. What was originally for poor bumiputera students were slowly hijacked by the elite bumiputeras. Now, we have children of Datos and Tan Sris being given MARA scholarship to go overseas. I have MARA sponsored students in Monash doing medicine, who drives bigger cars than me! BTW, for MARA loans, the students need to pay only 1% back upon completing their course. Pathetic! The best part : they are not bonded!!! After completing the course they can stay back and work overseas and many of them do this.
Of course, we can’t question this as it is under the “Malay rights” issue and we are forbidden from talking about it!
The 56:46 ratio of JPA scholarship is total bullshit as they always exclude MARA sponsorship!If it is included it is probably 90:10!
PSD to end sponsorship of undergrad studies abroad
By Masami Mustaza
news@nst.com.my
// // KUALA LUMPUR: The 1,500 scholarships offered by the Public Service Department (PSD) for undergraduate studies overseas will be phased out from next year.However, those who have secured entry for undergraduate studies at top foreign universities such as Oxford and Cambridge may still apply for such scholarships.
Scholarships for postgraduate studies will also be available.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said the move was aimed at increasing the number of scholarships for those studying at local universities and to address complaints that there were not enough scholarships for outstanding Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students.
These scholarships are awarded on merit and take into account the student’s background.
Nazri said this would not affect the Perdana Scholarship—the 300 scholarships awarded by the PSD entirely on merit, regardless of race.
This is the second year of the Perdana Scholarship, which is solely for students doing a master’s degree or doctoral programme in all fields with emphasis on science
and technology,at world-renowned universities.
Nazri, who is also the minister in charge of PSD scholarships, said that there would always be complaints that the government was not providing enough scholarships.
“There are just too many outstanding students. Even with the new grading system, where grades are divided into three classifications, for example, A-, A and A+, there are still many students who are able to get with outstanding results.
“It’s impossible to increase the number of scholarships because we don’t have enough money for that when we also need money to focus on other areas,” he said told the New Straits Times yesterday.
The 1,500 overseas scholarships given out under the PSD’s Program Ijazah Luar Negara (PILN) overseas programme are awarded according to a race quota with 56 per cent going to Bumiputera students and 44 per cent to non-Bumiputeras.
This year, more than 15,000 students applied for the scholarships.
Nazri also refuted a claim by Federation of Malaysian Indian Organisations president A Rajaretinam that 80 per cent of the scholarships were awarded to Bumiputeras, calling it a “blatant lie”.
Read more: PSD to end sponsorship of undergrad studies abroad http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/PSDtoendsponsorshipofundergradstudiesabroad
Pagalavan's Avatar 
I’m sorry but it is true that MARA sponsor students.. But you didn’t give evidence that MARA sponsor more students than PSD. One more, of course PSD scholarship does not include MARA since it is PSD scholarship, why don’t you say it also didn’t include khazanah, BNM, genting… of course not because they are different…
So, if you say like that,I can also say that it is not MARA or gov fault that most of your dirty smelly ebony races can’t get the scholarships because your races are stupid and jealous of bumiputra’s… Be like Chinese at least to work hard and not condemning government’s 50+ years old policy.
You said child of Dato’ and Tan sri also get MARA,.. well, I can say that child of Samy Vellu and CowShit Hindraf illegal organisation leader also get PSD scholarship…
Dr Pagalavan : i really like your blogs and its very informative. However i am saddened by the fact that people like “ash” cant even understand basic logic and goes for cheap racial remarks. Although i am a recipient of PSD help itself, i trully support that this should end for good. Our citizens been walking with crutches for far too long causing their brains to atrophy and jump at the notion that help should be stopped.
I’m so sorry for my above statement…. I was wrong when blaming the whole races when ones make mistake.. I take back what I had said from previous comment…
But, I think we shouldn’t talk about racial thing including things involve PERKARA 153 PERLEMBAGAAN PERSEKUTUAN MALAYSIA… I also believe that this ketuanan melayu give something that is not good even to malays… bit, I believe that one day, there is no more MELAYU OR CINA OR INDIA but we see ourselves as 1MALAYSIA….
DR Pagalavan : I cannot deny that your blog is very useful and I also take some knowledge from your blog… I’m so sorry for what I had said and I take it back… Sorry to my Indian friends. You deserve better like all of us… SALAM SEJAHTERA to all of malaysians..
First of all, I think you did not get my point, furthermore I know you are not a student! In fact, you have indirectly admitted that Malays are not hard working people and inferior and as such need assisstance unlike the Chinese (please read your own statement). So, when will the Malays stand with their own feet and say that they are equally strong!
If you read my comment on the above topic, I said that I am all for abolition of the PSD scholarship but all other government body including MARA should do the same! You want evidence about number of MARA sponsorship, please ask MARA. I have the data as I was working in a University before.
Remember, I didn’t question article 153. My question is why Malay VIP who are Datos, Tan Sri’s and milionaires need MARA sponsorship which supposedly for poor bumiputeras! Can’t they sponsor themselves! Or are they the category of people that you yourself mentioned above?
Your first comment just proofs what kind of person you are. I had many Malay friends (I don’t consider them as friends anymore) like you before, Mr Jakyl and Hyde personality. BTW my wife is a Malay. Please ask yourself, is there anywhere in your religion or the Quran which gives special rights to any race on earth , furthermore by suppresing other races! Do you wonder why this country is going downhill? Ask yourself and think of God. BTW I put my children as Indians so that they don’t live with a crutch mentality.
There cannot be 1Malaysia if people are not given equal oppurtunity. Only when you are at the receiving end, you will realise what I am saying.
Dear Pagalavan & ash,
I totally agree with you. I am a Malay, studying medicine under PSD scholarship in the UK. I am thankful for what I get… & i believe, i deserve the scholarship for my academic+extra-curricullar+communnity work+etc which I did prior to my scholarship application. Then, the reality hit me… how on earth this rich Malay+not so good qualification got the scholarship(mara) as well. I know few good people, malay & non malay, who are academically better with more positive attitude, who didn’t get any scholarship. perhaps, all of those that I did, didn’t really matter to get the scholarship…??? i can speculate but i’ll never know for sure.
dear ash, please read the Quran. read tafsir ibnu kathir, read sirah nabawiyyah eg raheequl makhtum, hadith 40 imam nawawi etc etc, there’s no such thing as racial superiority. Prophet Muhammad SAW also mentioned that no arab more superior to ‘ajam, what matter is Taqwa. kalau arab tiada beza dgn bangsa lain… apatah lagi melayu.
If we truly understand the Quran, we are bound to know that, we are suppose to love people of different colours and background [please refer al hujurat]. No Indian/chinesse/Malay choose to be born as what they are. itu semua kerja tuhan, therefore – making idiotic remark and insult base on others’ colour are injustifiable.
Dear Dr Pagalavan,
Dr, i like your blogs very much. dr, i hope next time you can give some information regarding medical research. im not a doctor but im a postgraduate student who are involving in medical research. i hope dr as an experienced person can share your view regarding this field in this country.
Depends on what medical research that you are talking about: clinical research or basic medical research. We are NOT well equiped and funded for basic medical research but he government is encouraging clinical research in all their hospitals.
Currently I’m a MARA scholar studying medicine in the UK (only a first year though). As accurately as you described, my dad is indeed a Dato. In the beginning I was quite reluctant to take the scholarship. It felt as though I was going against what I believed, equality and transparency. To cut the long story short, together with many long and heated arguments, my parents eventually forced me to take the scholarship.
I often tell myself that I don’t deserve it. The fact that I got this scholarship just because what I am sickens my stomach. But am I really expected to put the equality of the’ rakyat’ first in the stead of my family’s sacrifices? And no, I do not know the answer to that.
In all honestly, I know my parents are good people. Perhaps they are a little racist but it probably came with the instillation of siege mentality back in their time.
My dad keeps on telling me how the chinese only look out for their own kind and he tells my sister to not work for a chinese boss.
But sometimes life is funny, because my dad is half-chinese.
Oh the irony.
Good to hear this from you. You should tell your father that Chinese pays almost 70% of the taxes collected in Malaysia and that is what funding your studies!
i think it is a very good policy. Sending a student overseas such as UK for medic will cost tax-payer at least 1 million. This money could be better spent sponsoring more students locally
My friend has a batch mate during her pre-U IB (medicine) year who is also a MARA scholar and that batch mate has a maid coming to clean her room every week, go out partying at clubs every single weekend! When I hear that, I felt so disappointed. Why would they give scholarships to those who could afford studying overseas? Like me, my friend is also from East Malaysia, so we both knew that a lot of Malays think we’re below them but for the medicine IB course for overseas studies to only have 3 Borneo students out of around 30 students is just too much!
that’s Malaysia.