Vox Pop Non Bumiputera Not Pinning Hopes On Uitm

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On average, non-bumiputera, especially the Chinese community, do not have high hopes of entering Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) if it ever opens its doors to the group.
In an informal street survey, manager Daniel Teoh Tzu Yong shared his belief that the Chinese have never cared about UiTM.
"Most Chinese people have accepted that they will not get help and privileges from the government like the Malays," the 33-year-old who works for a private company told Malaysiakini.
Accountant Wendi Ling also agreed that the Chinese have accepted the fact that they do not enjoy the same benefits as the bumiputera.
"We don't get much benefit from the government like the bumiputera. So, we have to work harder to get what we want," the 22-year-old said.
Manager Daniel Teoh Tzu YongOn May 15, the UiTM student council called on its student body to wear black in protest of a proposal to allow non-bumiputera students to enrol.
They also asked students to upload pictures with the #MahasiswaUiTMBantah picket fence on social media in support of the launched campaign.
This followed the suggestion that UiTM temporarily opens its doors to non-bumiputera medical officers for cardiologist technical training through the parallel pathway programme.
The plan is to allow this only until the same programme is offered at Universiti Malaya.
Only seven non-bumiputera medical officers have been proposed as candidates to do advanced studies at UiTM in cardiothoracic surgery.
Most Malays on social media reacted negatively to this proposal and even claimed that there was an effort to ensure that non-bumiputera entered UiTM subtly.
Simply not interested
Private university student Yap Xiang, 23, said he was not interested in entering UiTM because the university did not reflect racial diversity, and he was more comfortable with the loose rules at private learning institutions.
"I am comfortable with my study place. I never once thought of continuing my studies at UiTM," he added.
Another private university student, Max Tang, said the place he’s studying at had better facilities, learning atmosphere, ranking position, and graduate employability opportunities than UiTM.
"I don't need UiTM," the 24-year-old added.
Private varsity student Max TangChinese school students also revealed that they did not intend to continue their studies at UiTM after finishing school.
A 16-year-old student, who wanted to be known as Chua, said he only dreams of continuing his education at a private institution.
More surprisingly, a student only known as Sheryl, 17, did not even know about the existence of UiTM.
"I have never heard of UiTM. My ambition is to continue my studies at Taylor University," she said.
Embrace diversity
Public university student Sashvin Chandran Nair opined that it’s important for UiTM to accept racial diversity in the spirit of 1Malaysia.
Sashvin Chandran NairHowever, the 20-year-old noted objections to that diversification as cited in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
"My Indian friends have the same view. But we are worried that this could lead to racial issues," he said.
His friend Paarveen Ravindran, 21, urged the government to focus on making it easier for non-bumiputera to continue with a bachelor's degree, instead of debating the UiTM issue.
This can be done by increasing quotas for non-bumiputera in matriculation and foundation courses, he added. - Mkini

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