1Malaysia scholarships?

This is not my first column on the JPA scholarships issue (see related columns below). But I want it to be my last.

JPA simply needs to get their act together and they can do it without the input of racial parties who only see colour behind every tree. Even the cabinet committee is not a solution when simple rationality and reason cannot prevail. Authority and power of the state cannot solve this problem. We need a colour-blind and professional solution.

The JPA scholarship is a straightforward policy issue and not even a political issue. What do I mean? The root word for ‘policy\’ and ‘politics\’ are the same. According to Wikipedia, politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions.

The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs. It also refers to behaviour within civil governments. However, politics can be observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions.

It consists of \”social relations involving authority or power\” and refers to the regulation of public affairs within a political unit, and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.

The core of pol, in Greek, actually deals with issues of the state or the affairs related to the city-state . It was originally a treatise by Aristotle dealing with the structure, organization, and administration of the state, especially the city-state as it was known in ancient Greece.

Therefore, we get the other equivalent concepts that describe this city-state role vide metropolis etc. Yet other root forms of pol are ‘police\’ and ‘policy.\’ Both deal with the affairs of the nation state; one gives guidance and the other seeks to enforce.

Serving the interest of the state

A good and equivalent concept that may be easier to understand is the concept of public interest. Both the police and policies exist to serve the interests of the public often mistakenly called the interests of the state.

To me, the only interest of the state arises when the very existence of the state is under question; then, the interest of the state takes pre-ordinate concern, but never otherwise. Armies exist to preserve and protect the interest of the state. But, the police never exist to protect the state against the citizens, in any viable democracy.

The job of internal security and preservation of public order is one significant role of the police of any state. But, the police authorities have to be conscientious never to cross the boundary line and work against the very people who pay their salaries.

Both in Egypt and Yemen, the police and military authorities served their people well against dictatorships. They served the public interest but may not have served the state interest, as defined by the older leadership of authority and power in both nations.

But, then again the rest of the world have taken sides with their police and military for doing the right things at the right time and in the right way.

Therefore, any good police force or a policy document (as an instrumental framework of public interest articulation) must always describe the public interest objective, explain it, evaluate the intent and prescribe the outputs, outcomes and intended impact.

Proposing a new policy

Consequently, the JPA needs a simple but clearly published scholarships policy. What is the intent of the policy? Who does it address? What qualifications define the people who succeed? Who is not qualified?

For example, it could say that people with mental or psychological disabilities may not qualify for this scholarship, but may instead apply for some other ones.

Allow me to propose a simple but doable policy, if JPA is serious about reviewing their current policy.

Name of policy : The 1Malaysia Undergraduate Scholarships for Academic Excellence

Target audience : Those completing the SPM in 2011 when the results are published in 2012 and the applicants cannot exceed 18 years of age.

The purpose of the scholarship : To identify and educate the best young Malaysian scholars for recruitment into the public services upon graduation.

The fields offered : Medicine, pharmacy, engineering, other applied fields of science and technology, and any other specialised but proven fields of knowledge that is not available in Malaysia.

Limited scholarships: Given that this is designed to be the best of the best, an annual limit of 300 scholarships is offered every year. Only the objectively qualified students can achieve the scholarship after a due process of review.

The process of review is as follows:

1. The objective top 500 after the year-end school level examinations are selected through a rigorous process of physical and psychological testing even before the SPM results are released.

2. The selected 500 national best will attend a special national service plus an International Baccalaureate (IB) course at a designated campus for one year.

3. After the SPM results are announced, attendees are short-listed down to ‘300 scholars\’ based on results achieved in the SPM of a minimum of 8 A+ plus extra-curricular approved activities. The other 200 still remain and still have a chance to qualify if they prove to be better than the short-listed ones.

4. All attendees finish their special IB programme within 1 year, and all seek admission into the best 200 undergraduate schools in the world, according to any approved listing as selected by the JPA.

5. The best 300 who gain admission into the top 200 schools anywhere in the world are then given scholarships and asked to sign a contract of compulsory service with public services. After age 18, these contracts are legally binding.

6. Any breach of contract is paid for by the student and the parents with their banks or other financial institutions as the second guarantors. This could include EPF or other savings programmes or even PNB schemes.

7. This policy will be reviewed every three years for the efficacy of implementation and all due process will be done entirely in an open and transparent manner.

May God bless Malaysia.