Will Najib fulfill his pledge to give scholarships to ALL with 8A+ and above?

Let Talent Corp handle scholarship awards, says DAP

UPDATED @ 12:10:24 PM 23-05-2011

By Clara Chooi

May 23, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — The DAP today urged the Cabinet to strip the Public Service Department (PSD) of its scholarship award role and instead transfer it to Talent Corporation, the agency set up to address the country’s brain-drain problem.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua told a press conference today that this would help solve the ongoing scholarship fiasco arising from “sabotage” within the PSD.

“The transfer of this critical role and responsibility (to Talent Corp) will be particularly fitting given the crucial role of attracting and retaining talent in Malaysia.

“They will also be the most appropriate agency to manage the best and brightest talents of our future given close links with the industry,” he said.

Pua (picture) also urged all political parties across the divide to back the DAP’s suggestion, pointing out that even Barisan Nasional’s (BN) MCA, Gerakan and MIC had voiced their frustrations over the issue.

“The proposal is made in the interest of all Malaysians and there should be bipartisanship in ensuring the annual scholarship circus will never see the light of day again,” he said.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong revealed last week that 363 straight A+ students failed to get the scholarships this year although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had agreed that all students scoring 8A+ and above will receive PSD scholarships after a similar brouhaha last year.

The MCA Youth chief accused government officers who disobeyed Cabinet directives as being one of the main reasons why top deserving students failed to get scholarships.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has reportedly ordered the PSD to investigate complaints that some SPM top scorers were not offered scholarships.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, had however stressed that his ministry was not to blame as its list of scholarship candidates had already been forwarded.

The MIC also waded into the controversy and called for an independent committee to investigate the PSD.

“The PSD has proven itself to be a complete disaster in managing the award of government scholarships to the young and brightest Malaysians, particularly those seeking the opportunity to pursue their education overseas.

“Over the past few years, it has never failed to attract controversy by failing to award scholarships in a fair and just manner, resulting in hundreds of top students failing to secure the scholarships they deserve,” said Pua.

The PSD, he added, had made a mockery of Najib’s pledge that 20 per cent of overseas scholarships would be awarded entirely based on merit.

The department had instead defied the prime minister by creating new scholarship categories like the “open” scholarships and scholarships for diploma programmes to circumvent the Cabinet’s directive, he said.

“The never-ending controversy has led to, as well as further exacerbates, the serious brain-drain crisis facing the country.

“Students and families who are unjustly treated will be persuaded to leave the country for greener pastures who will not hesitate to poach our top talents,” he predicted.

The outcome, said Pua, would hamper the government’s target of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation under the New Economic Model and Economic Transformation Programme.

As such, he said, transferring the scholarship award role to Talent Corporation would be a good way to address the problem.

“Talent Corporation will stand a better chance in succeeding to honour our best and brightest as opposed to the PSD, whose role is complicated and confused, made worse by vested interest and little Napoleons,” he said.