JULY 2 — Certainly there has to be a more refined way to skin this slippery cat called education. Abolishing meritocracy in the system and returning “justice” to Malay students, as proclaimed ever so loudly last week, might not do the trick at all.
In fact, the call by Malay Consultative Council president Tan Sri Ibrahim Abu Shah at an education convention in Kuala Lumpur could — in the long run — be dangerously counterproductive to the Malays themselves.
An emotional pitch like “Today, meritocracy has created Chinese supremacy. There is nothing to benefit Malay students” would no doubt reverberate on certain political platforms and get heroic recognition in the process.
But frankly, apart from uplifting the seasonal semangat nusa dan bangsa images, what else does it do? What does abolishing meritocracy mean?
Yes, some affirmative action is needed to address under-achievements affecting the whole Malay community.
And yes, Malays are capable of gaining greater excellence if all round they get equal opportunities or are given the right push.
What this means is actually clear enough — if there are shortcomings in getting the best out of rural Malay students, fix them for heaven’s sake. Not create backdoor solutions.
If they rightly deserve scholarships to study abroad, be a little flexible to enable them to qualify. This is the practical solution without having to resort to lowering the bar.
Perhaps we could just call it “guided meritocracy” which does not necessitate the abolition of meritocracy at all.
Sometimes we wonder why the phobia towards that word. Fear of competition? Lack of confidence?
Bare-faced underachievement?
It is a shame if we drag down the entire community by simply demonising a quest for excellence. And meritocracy has been mentioned several times by the prime minister himself and his deputy in their bid to bring out the best in the Malaysian education system.
I’m not sure whether an outright abolition of meritocracy and brashly awarding a big chunk of scholarships and university places to Malays would “return justice” to the community as advocated by Ibrahim.
There are many people who share the view of the former Universiti Teknologi Mara vice-chancellor and want a clear-cut policy that is seen as nothing else but pro-Malay.
But if so, Malays would continue to be dependent on government help and, instead of having the competitive edge of taking on the world, expect to be given handicaps.
The world, it must be remembered, is out there, not just within the boundaries of Malaysia.
A globalised world is an unkind world, so efforts must be made to condition the minds and attitudes of young Malaysians, especially Malays.
I am sticking to this opinion which I had also brought up in the New Straits Times five years ago — about employers constantly complaining that they were finding it increasingly hard to hire the right people for the right jobs.
In that piece was also a lament by the then Foreign Minister Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim who spoke about the quality and stature of his staff.
The minister said foreign service officers in this era of globalisation must not only be skilful in political and strategic issues, but must also have an adequate arsenal of knowledge on international economic matters.
“Their proficiency in the use of international languages is important, as effective communication is a key tool in international diplomacy. They must be given the necessary training for the challenging task of protecting Malaysia’s multifaceted national interests.
“We want our officers to have the ability to communicate at the highest level and have knowledge of international law,” he said.
The moral of the story is we can stubbornly build a fortress around us but it could be at our own peril. We can continue to insist on imposing big quotas for a certain section of the population, reasoning that these people need help.
But help would be a long way with misplaced priorities. Meritocracy will address mediocrity. There’s an apt age-old Malay expression for this: Sepuluh jong kapal berlabuh, anjing tetap bercawat ekor.
It simply means a painful inability to adapt. It is akin to being blotted out as a result of a stubborn refusal to move with the times.
That’s worse.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
