Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), a publicly-funded university system in Malaysia with a 170,000-strong student body, has a policy of only admitting Bumiputera students (defined as Malaysians of the Malay or indigenous races), to the exclusion of Malaysian non-Bumiputera students, predominantly those of Chinese or Indian descent.

To our knowledge, UiTM's race-based admissions policy is unique amongst prestigious, publicly-funded universities in Asia and around the world.

As a matter of public policy, we respectfully and humbly petition the Malaysian Government to consider allocating up to 10-15% of UiTM's Class of 2016 to non-Bumiputera students, and encourage such students to apply.

In our view, the current UiTM admissions policy hurts:

1. UiTM's Bumiputera students, who are deprived the opportunity to learn and benefit from a more diverse student body;

2. UiTM's students and staff, who are afflicted with the stigma and embarrassment of teaching, working and studying in a university system that openly discriminates on the account of race - a practice abhorrent to most foreign academic institutions; and

3. Non-Bumiputera Malaysians, who as full citizens should be allowed the opportunity to attend UiTM, a well-funded and prestigious institution.

We understand and appreciate the important role UiTM has played in fostering a sense of community amongst its Bumiputera student body for over half a century. 

Our earnest belief is UiTM's best days are in front of it, and an important next step is the removal of what has become an unwarranted, controversial and regressive policy that hurts not just current UiTM students and non-Bumiputera would-be students, but also UiTM itself.