PETALING JAYA: Gerakan has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to apologize for his response to a female student’s questions on racial quotas in tertiary education. The party’s vice-president, Datuk Baljit Singh, criticized Anwar’s behavior during a dialogue session at the Penang Matriculation College on Saturday (Aug 5), describing it as inappropriate and emotional.
Baljit stated that as the Prime Minister, Anwar should understand the disappointment of Malaysian students and respond with empathy. He also questioned the absence of the “DAP warriors” who advocate for equal rights, particularly the Deputy Education Minister from DAP.
During the session, the female student raised concerns about the racial quota system and the admission criteria based on meritocracy. She highlighted instances where non-bumiputra students with higher grades were initially denied entry into matriculation colleges and only managed to gain admission after appealing.
Anwar repeatedly interrupted the student and responded abrasively, telling her she should have been familiar with his previous sessions with students. He also defended the quota system, emphasizing the need to consider disadvantaged bumiputra students from rural schools.
Notably, this is not the first time Anwar has faced criticism for his interactions with students. In June, he sparked controversy for making a remark to an 18-year-old female student about asking for her phone number if he were younger, during a dialogue session at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia in Negri Sembilan.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
