COMMENT | Vice-chancellors and the elephant in the room

COMMENT | So, there are five vice-chancellors’ posts of public universities that are vacant now and there seems to be a problem trying to find the right candidates. For a country that is hoping to become a high-income society soon, one wonders what the problem is. Some have put it down to the question of political appointments just like finding a CEO for a GLC. We know it is not just an issue of political patronage for we have had ruling coalitions under Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and now Perikatan Nasional and they all refuse to confront the elephant in the room, namely, blatant racial discrimination.

Before May 13, 1969, there were two non-Malay vice-chancellors at University Malaya – Huang Li Song (1965-66) and Chin Fung Kee (1966-67). After the emergency following the riots and the introduction of the so-called “quota system” with the amendment (8A) to Article 153, there was no mention in the amendment nor in the New Economic Policy that the vice-chancellors of public universities must be Malay. Still, the record speaks for itself – since 1969, every single vice-chancellor or deputy vice-chancellor for that matter, in all our public universities has been Malay. With such a blatant racial bar on promotions and meritocracy, is it surprising that since 1971, many non-Malay academics have left for other countries to find a more level playing field that puts competence first and where their capabilities are acknowledged and celebrated?

Nonetheless, is it really the case that...