The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student once stood out like a sore thumb among his varsity mates, when he openly supported the idea of UiTM opening up to non-Bumiputera students.
The student, whose real name is Wan Muhammad Atif, said it happened during a session for UiTM freshies.
The class head had asked if anyone supported the idea that UiTM, which is open to only Bumiputeras, should also accept non-Bumiputera students.
Wan had then raised his hand to support the idea, but instantly found out that he was the only one to do so.
He was scolded by the class head, who told him to stand up, before demanding him to explain his stand.
“Because they also have rights. I think that they have the right to study,” Wan had answered.
“And you know what the head of class said?” he said, recalling the incident in a series of Twitter posts. “He said: ‘Do you think that if UiTM opens its doors for the non-Bumiputeras, you would be here? If the Indians and Chinese get into UiTM, you guys will never be able to finish your studies’.”
Wan said he was scared by the unfriendly reaction he got from everyone in the hall.
But he said he never regretted voicing out his views.
“The thing about Malays is that we are too privileged and spoon fed far too much that we take this opportunity to study as an advantage. We don’t utilise the platform we get to study smart and hard enough when there are other non-Bumiputeras who have passion in studying but couldn’t afford the fees of the private universities and colleges in Malaysia,” said Wan.
Wan said the class head was clearly not happy with his views, and began hurling racist remarks.
He said the incident taught him that racism is not inherited.
“It is taught,” he wrote.
His posts received nearly 5,000 retweets and likes, and generated a steady stream of comments from Malaysians. Some defended him, but others criticised Wan, saying he was ignorant of UiTM’s origins.
“My advice, study history and the laws and constitution before voicing out. Why was UiTM made into a special privilege for Bumiputera. This is not about being racists,” said one user.