JPA Scholarships - Same story every year!

Year in, year out, same old problem. The scholarship dished out by the Public Services Department, PSD or JPA as more commonly known, is much sought after by top-scoring SPM leavers, to pursue their higher education overseas. There is one serious problem though, the chances of a top scoring Indian student getting the scholarship is just about the same as winning a game of roullete. Every year, it's the same story. Applications sent in, rejections sent out, appeals sent in, politicians make noise, JPA throws some bones, everybody forgets and gets on with life, only to replay the whole thing the following year.

To quote Datuk M. Saravanan, Deputy Federal Territories Minister and MIC Information Chief, and fellow blogger, "Do we have to beg, year in, year out? Do they get pleasure in seeing us beg, then throw us the bone?"

Seriously JPA. Get your act sorted out. 90% Bumi, 10% Nonbumi. Then apparently, 55% Bumi, 45% Nonbumi. Can someone please tell me where the quota system for this came from? When even local university intakes are now supposedly on merit, nevermind that it's our own definition of merit (that's material for a whole different post altogether), who came up with the rule that JPA scholarships are based on a quota system?

Well, I'd like to see one of two things. Either we abolish the quota system, and award the scholarship purely on merit, with a well-published evaluation criteria, OR we stick to the quota system, but since we're at it, split the quota to Bumi, Chinese and Indian. Give 250 places a year to Indian students to study overseas. No need to beg anymore!

Multi-racial Acceptance is a two-way street.

The very term 'Racial tolerance' is one that I do not agree with. 'Tolerance' means 'to put up with'. In my view, you only 'put up' with problems or discomforts. I don't see living together in a country with other races as a discomfort or a problem, and I'd hate for others to view living with me or my community in that light.

I would prefer using the term 'multi-racial acceptance'. We accept one another as fellow Malaysian. We live side by side with acceptance of the ways of one another. Or at the very least, that would be the ideal scenario.

That said, reading an article in today's NST disturbed me. Last Monday night, there was a Bharatanatyam performance in Taman Budaya, in Ipoh. Having attended countless bharatanaytam performances, and accompanying my sister to many of her dance performances, I know a thing or two about this art. I definitely know the importance the dancers place to the worship of Lord Nadarajah before beginning their show. It's a very simple pooja, sometimes just a mere offering of flowers, but one deep in meaning and importance.

On Monday's event however, the owners of the venue, the state Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Department, refused to allow this integral part of the performance. Adding insult to injury, they actually showed their 'tolerance' by 'allowing' the prayer ritual to be done backstage, 'to respect the sensitivities of the audience, who also comprised Chinese and Malays'.

Come on! I have attended thousands of fuctions where a 'doa selamat' is said. Is that any different from this? If I went as far as to claim that the 'doa selamat' does not 'respect the sensitivities' of others, would I not be public enemy No. 1? But no, that is not what I have been brought up to say. Because I, ACCEPT the way of others around me. I for one, believe that God is one, and all religions lead to Him.

Sometimes, one cannot help feeling that even if the majority of Malaysians can rise above the trivialities of race and religion, there will always be the one government employee, stuck in the past, who throws the wrench in the works.