KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Newly appointed Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) chairman Datuk Awang Adek Hussin has the chance to elevate the institution to greater heights and turn it into a global education powerhouse by tweaking its policies, experts have commented.

Sociologist Datuk Roziah Omar pointed out that even though Awang Adek is a highly qualified individual due to his education and professional experience as a seasoned economist and diplomat, leading MARA requires more than just having the right background.

“This person must be able to look at the current education scenario beyond what is being offered now, especially to educate the next generation of Malays. The current economic situation is hampering sending our best students abroad.

“A solution he could implement to assist in educating more globally-minded Malays is to send these MARA scholars to local education institutions that offer world class education,” said the Social Development Head of Cluster for the Council of Malaysian Professors.

Former senior civil servant Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam hoped that Awang Adek will introduce more multiracial policies so that MARA graduates will be able “to serve as Malaysian leaders in all fields and not necessarily be regarded as Malay leaders”.

“This will turn out a new generation for TN50 and he has got to come out with plans and policies to get that kind of MARA graduate,” he said, referring to the National Transformation 2050 plan launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“Just like how Tan Sri Arshad Ayub transformed MARA to be a more disciplined group, the challenge is to turn MARA into a more Malaysian institution with graduates having a broader Malaysian outlook,” the chairman of Asian Strategic Leadership Institute’s Centre For Public Policy Studies added.

Political analyst Faisal Hazis shared Navaratnam’s hopes, however he was more cynical over a multiracial MARA.

“That’s the vision we should have, that one day this government will pursue an inclusive policy and not favour just one ethnic group. That’s an aspiration for a growing number of Malaysian that Tan Sri Ramon expressed,” the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer said.

“But looking at the political reality I don’t think that’s the path Awang Adek will take. In fact he may strengthen the Malay agenda and continue pursue safeguarding Malay interest and education needs because that is the reason MARA was set up.”

Roziah on the other hand felt that a multiracial policy for MARA would mean that the Malays who benefited from MARA should have the ingredients to become citizens that can survive in a diverse ecosystem and who are competitive and resilient.

“They cannot live in the Malay safety net. It’s a cocoon when they must be able to thrive alongside other races. The curriculum as well as the teaching and learning methods need to be reviewed,” she said.

On Monday, Regional and Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Awang Adek has been appointed as MARA chairman starting September 1. 

*Editor’s note: An earlier copy wrongly named Suffian Ibrahim instead of Faisal Hazis as one of the analysts. Malay Mail Online apologises for the error, which has since been corrected.