TAR UC and UTAR have proven their value

WHEN we make a decision that political parties should not control educational institutions, is this a political decision to begin with?

Surely there are two sides to an argument? Surely there are exceptions to a general rule? Surely there are legacies and histories involved that should be considered? And surely we must allow a reasonable time for changes and reforms to take place?

Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) were born out of historical necessity. There was a dire need for education opportunities for non-bumiputra lower income groups, and TAR UC and UTAR have helped enormously to fill the gap.

There might have been failings on the part of the institutions’ political party founder, but with TAR UC and UTAR, I would think that they have at least done one thing right. Without these two institutions, many would have nowhere to go for further studies.

Is political control of education institutions ipso facto bad? It is bad when the institutions are used for politicking and discrimination. It is bad if the finances and governance of the institutions are abused or their monies siphoned off for political purposes. It is bad if standards and academic vigour of the institutions are compromised due to external interference.

But so far, are we not proud of the performance of TAR UC and UTAR graduates? Not only that, are we not proud of the Chinese community that has contributed financially to these two institutions?

All these years, have we heard of TAR UC and UTAR practising discrimination by excluding or rejecting applicants based on race, religion or political beliefs?

I think it is wrong to stand on the moral high ground and look at the world in black and white when the circumstances suit us. In life, there are always exceptions to the general rule and extenuating factors which are unavoidable.

If the Pakatan Harapan government wants to do the right thing, there are hundreds of issues still left unaddressed. There is no need to single out so urgently and so determinedly the issue of political control over TAR UC and UTAR.

TK CHUA Kuala Lumpur