Non-Malays have rights to scholarships too, says inter-faith group

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 08, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Federal Constitution does not deny non-Malays government scholarships, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has said.

The non-Muslim inter-faith group pointed out today that Article 153 (2) of the constitution only allowed a “reasonable proportion” of scholarships to be given to Malays and Bumipueteras.

It also stressed that this “ruled out 100 per cent scholarship reservation for Malays.”

“Therefore after reservation of reasonable proportion, the balance should also be made available to the non-Malays, as they have legitimate interests in it,” MCCBCHST president Reverend Dr Thomas Phillips said in a statement today.

Phillips also pointed out that Article 153 (1) of the constitution also imposed a responsibility on the Yang Dipertuan Agong in addition to safeguarding this special position of the Malays to also “safeguard the legitimate interests of the other communities.”

The group’s remarks today were in response to the Selangor Coalition against Corruption’s (GAPS) claim that only Malays and Bumiputeras had the right to receive government scholarships.

GAPS had said that their argument was based on the findings of the Reid Commission, the five-member Commonwealth panel which drafted the nation’s constitution in 1956.

“This position of GAPS is untenable,” said Phillips who said that the commission had back then called for a review of the quotas after 15 years of its implementation.

 “Article 153 only allows reservation of reasonable proportion of quotas in three areas - (i) positions in public services (ii) scholarships, exhibitions, etc, and (iii) obtaining permits or licences for the operation of any trade or business.

“Thus, there cannot be quotas in other areas,” he added.