Allowing non-bumis into the UiTM cardiothoracic programme will benefit the country, according to Zaid.

PETALING JAYA: Zaid Ibrahim stated that the nation’s needs must come first when deciding whether to offer Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) cardiothoracic surgery curriculum to non-bumiputras.

In a post on X, the former law minister stated that there was no compelling reason not to admit non-Bumiputra students to UiTM.

“There are no outstanding issues, with the exception of the perennial fear of opening UITM to non-bumiputras.”

“The nation should come first.

“We are short on all types of medical specialists in public health. “We are short on nurses,” he wrote on Friday (May 3).

He went on to say that, given the shortage of trained medical experts, educational institutions must open up.

“Our doctors and nurses are leaving in droves, and the private sector is picking up the slack.

“The welfare of our public health system is in jeopardy and must be prioritised.

“Our educational institutions need to open up and take all qualified Malaysians to fill up the places,” he said.

Zaid went on to emphasise that providing educational chances to non-Malays will benefit the entire country.

“UiTM should keep helping bumiputras; this is why it was founded.”

“But today, we have to recognise that (letting) non-Malays into UITM is also assisting the bumiputras by solving the nation’s problems,” he stated.

“In the 1970s, there was a fear that there would be more non-Malays serving as lecturers, doctors, or nurses.

“Although we now live in a single nation with more serious issues, we still have adequate resources to support every community.

“Do not continue to govern this country with the fear of the past,” he stated.

Zaid made his comments in response to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, who had stated that before the idea to admit non-bumiputra students to UiTM could be considered, a number of unknown underlying concerns needed to be handled.

Zambry stated that no formal discussions or correspondence had been held on the subject thus far, without elaborating on the problems.