Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) calls for our education system to be liberated from racist policies and calls for quota system based on race to be abolished completely. We reiterate once again for free and affordable education for all.
If at all a quota is necessary, then the poorest segment of our society should be the first to obtain them irrespective of race and religion. Three years ago, the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government would introduce meritocracy policy instead of quota and said that it is not a victimisation of the Malays and that the Malays should not be afraid of it. Today he makes a U turn on this.
In the UMNO General Assemble in 2005, one Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said that ... Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) should be upgraded and re-named Umno University as the university was built in honour of Tun Abdul Razak, a great Malay and national leader. We don't want the university to have an uncertain future. It should be a centre of excellence in education for Malays. Zambry views may be shared by many UMNO members. It is time the BN component parties to make their stand on this but sadly many BN parties are also guilty of practicing similar policies.
Education must be free from racial and party politics. Every component party in Barisan National wants to open its own university to appease its own community. Standard of education has dropped drastically as been reflected by our university performance in international ratings. Meanwhile capitalism has made education a purely money eating machine as we can see in the mushrooming of International Universities and colleges in the country.
Yet we still have schools without proper buildings, schools without electricity and other basic facilities. Our education system changes every year to accommodate to new political directives without much consultation with parents, teachers and educationist.
It is time to go back to the basic of education and its role in society. Education must be liberated from racism and capitalism.
S. Arutchelvan
Secretary General