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Malaysia cannot achieve the objective to become an  international centre of academic excellence so long  as the  illusion of meritocracy in the university entrance selection system  denies  thousands of deserving Malaysian students affordable quality tertiary education in public universities every year Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya,  Thursday):  Malaysia cannot achieve the objective to become an  international centre of academic excellence so long as the  illusion of meritocracy in the university entrance selection system  denies  thousands of deserving Malaysian students affordable quality tertiary education in public universities every year. The university student intake for the new academic year announced last Friday revealed the following racial breakdown: Bumiputeras              23,182                        62.6% Chinese                      11,921                        32.2% Indians                         1,931                          5.2% Total                            37,034                        100%  As has been rightly  pointed out by the DAPSY national secretary Loke Siew Fook, the Education Ministry has under-stated the percentage of bumiputra student intake into the public universities, as the allocation of another 10,650 places in various universities exclusively for bumiputera students had not been included which would have boosted the bumiputera student intake to 71 per cent while the Chinese and Indian student intake would have fallen to 25 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. This year alone, some four to five thousand students  who should have admitted on merit alone have been denied places in the public universities because there is no fair and professional university entrance selection system which gives all applicants a level playing field. A system which provides the illusion without the  substance of meritocracy is not only unfair to the students but also to the country, as it is not only harmful  to the goals of national integration and preparing a new generation of Malaysians to be competitive enough to face the challenges of globalization, it would also defeat the country’s objective to become an  internationally-recognised centre of academic excellence and  be a magnet of students from the countries in the region. Parliament at its meeting next month should end the new disease of double-talk in the public discourse about education, in particular the university entrance examination system – to ensure that we not only have  a meritocracy system in name but also  in substance, delivering not just  the illusion but also  the fact of meritocracy in our universities.  (22/5/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman