The Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) and Pos Malaysia Bhd should ensure that the sale of university application forms from next week would be incident-free after the disgraceful pandemonium over the selling of university matriculation forms last week, even compelling students and parents to buy the forms in the blackmarket at exorbitant rates.
In the past few days, there had also been numerous reports about large crowds and long queues, creating near-riotous situations in some cases, over the application for identity cards at the National Registration Department, application of computerised driving licences at the Road Transport Department and registration of foreign workers at the Immigration Department, which reflect poorly on the government’s public counter services.
The Education Ministry should ensure that the selling of university application forms next week will not be a new scandal for the public service. In fact, a system should be devised where there should be smooth, efficient and incident-free sale of the university application forms, without the need for any overnight camping by parents or students outside post offices to get the best position for queues the next morning.
Something must be very wrong with the UPU and the Education Ministry if the sale of university forms next week cannot be carried out smoothly, causing the minimum of inconvenience and hardships to the public - in which event, heads must roll to put a stop to such inefficient planning in the public service.
(28/12/96)