THE government should prioritise Malaysian students in need of financial aid instead of giving the privilege to non-Malaysians, said Datuk Darell Leiking.
The Warisan deputy president lamented that many Sabahans are forced to spend lots of money for travelling to and undertaking courses in Peninsular Malaysia as there are not enough places for them in universities in their home state.
“If the unity government thinks this is the way to help Palestinians, maybe they should do exactly the same for the deprived Sabahans first.
“They have to go to Malaya to enter universities, as UMS (Universiti Malaysia Sabah) has insufficient spots for Sabahans due to entry being open to all Malaysians,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
The Moyog assemblyman said many Sabahans have to save money to go to public and private universities in West Malaysia.
“I and many business friends have been asked hundreds of times by many fellow Sabahans to financially assist them when they are unable to secure scholarships and places at Sabah’s UMS.
Many have helped out Sabahans in need…when it comes to a government doing away with fees for non-Malaysians, I think we should draw a line,” he said.
He said any government should prioritise their own citizens first, especially in this case, as Sabah is still considerably lagging behind Peninsular Malaysia in terms of development.
“Sabahans, if not all Malaysians, should be prioritised no matter what, instead of foreign students,” he said.
“Focus on skilling and academic opportunities for all Malaysians, especially Sabahans, as they have no space locally and need to go to Malaya to further their education.
“My fellow Sabahans come first.”
Fee waiver for Palestinians
The Warisan deputy president was responding to a statement by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who said that tuition fees for more than 600 Palestinian students studying at public universities in Malaysia will be waived for one year with immediate effect.
Khaled said the ministry will also hold talks with private universities to waive the fees for more than 200 Palestinian students studying at these institutions for one year.
The ministry is also considering providing monthly allowances to all 800 Palestinian students in public and private universities in Malaysia for the same period, which would cost about RM20 million, he added.
Details on the tuition fee waiver and monthly allowances would be announced soon.
He said that the ministry is concerned over the challenges faced by the Palestinian students.
“They are, of course, among those who are directly affected by what is happening in the country.
“They may no longer receive financial support from their family or sponsors.”
Look inward
This move by the ministry comes on the heels of the Education Ministry’s (MoE) controversial directive for all schools to organise events for Palestine Solidarity Week from October 29 to November 3.
MoE’s Palestine Solidarity Week was heavily criticised by various quarters, particularly after video clips of students and teachers made to wear militant costumes and brandish toy guns supposedly in honour of the week surfaced.
The government was also criticised for conducting Palestine Solidarity Week without ratifying the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Refugees, which would allow Palestinian refugees to obtain formal education in government schools.
Following the backlash against Palestine Solidarity Week, Sarawak authorities later said it will not mandate observance in its schools.
Leiking had earlier proposed the introduction of a Malaysia Agreement 1963 Week to inculcate greater understanding towards the formation of Malaysia.
“This will help them (students) understand the historical context and the special rights and privileges that Sabah and Sarawak inherently and constitutionally have as founding members of the federation,” he said.
Special pass
Meanwhile, a bipartisan MP group had earlier urged the government to issue a special pass for Palestinian refugees in Malaysia that will enable them to stay and work in the country temporarily.
Syerleena Abdul Rashid, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Refugee Policy, stressed the need to urgently “formulate policies that protect those who have sought temporary refuge on our shores, including those from Palestine”.
“We call for an immediate ceasefire, the urgent protection of civilians, the facilitation of unimpeded humanitarian aid, and the prevention of full-scale genocide in Gaza.
(The government should also) start the implementation of the amended National Security Council Directive No. 23, which will grant temporary rights to refugees in Malaysia,” said the Bukit Bendera MP in a statement last month.
Currently, Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
There are some 600 Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UN High High Commissioner For Refugees here as of end-October, said the body.
Over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, while 29,000 more have been injured.
In the occupied West Bank, at least 186 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, Al Jazeera quoted the Palestinian Health Ministry as saying on Tuesday. – The Vibes, November 17, 2023
