KUALA LUMPUR – Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) student council (MPP) has apologised for holding the #MahasiswaUiTMBantah campaign against the proposal to allow the admission of non-Bumiputera students to its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme.
In a statement, the council admitted that it was “unclear” in explaining the situation as a whole.
They also thanked the public for voicing their views and concerns to ensure the council is held accountable.
“We admit that the statement issued recently on May 14, 2024, is a little misleading when we did not explain the actual chronological aspect of the case.
“Furthermore, the interpretation of Article 153 (of the Federal Constitution) is also not explained well, causing misunderstanding among the public,” the council said.
The student body also acknowledged that the issue was “beyond our expectations” and is committed to avoiding confusion in the future by issuing clearer statements.
“As student representatives, we are also aware that it is very important to maintain the harmony and well-being of relationships with students even through the virtual medium. We are also aware that the sensitive 3R (race, religion, royalty) issue should not be raised,” they said.
“Due to the recent events, harmony has been disrupted because of the unclear communication methods that did not align with the original intent of the campaign. This was caused by misunderstandings arising from misinterpretation of the context through various readings.”
Last week, the student council launched the #MahasiswaUiTMBantah campaign from May 14 until May 16, following a recent appeal by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) for UiTM to put public health interests first by temporarily opening its cardiothoracic surgery postgraduate programme to non-Bumiputera, amid a shortage of specialists in the field.
The issue has rapidly gained attention, spreading widely, and the student body has since faced online backlash. – May 22, 2024