WARISAN Plus has recently launched its manifesto “Sandakan Berpadu, Sabah Baru” on Malaysia Day, which focuses on the development for Sandakan district.

The five goals in the pact’s unveiled manifesto are (1) establishment of a full-fledged university, (2) improvement of public healthcare, (3) people-driven development, (4) creation of more jobs, and (5) improvement of local public transportation networks.

For the purpose of this article, I shall only focus on the first goal, discuss it and outline its challenges.

Politicians and vested interests in Asian countries, particularly Malaysia, often hijack university as a niche-value added factor for regional socio-economic development, but in reality only for the purpose of achieving political and financial gains. 

According to the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE), we have more than 130 universities and university colleges conferring bachelor and higher degrees. 

In Sabah, there are already two public universities (Universiti Malaysia Sabah, UMS and Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah, UiTM Sabah), three private university colleges, and one private university and a number of colleges.

A scaled-down UMS campus in Sandakan offers all levels of studies from undergraduate to postgraduate, focusing on sustainable agriculture. Additionally, Yayasan Sabah Group owns University College Sabah Foundation, one of the three private university colleges in the “land beneath the wind”.

It is important to bear in mind that the right to grant university licences remains in the hands of MOHE, not the Sabah Education Department. This is because of the over-centralised governance of Malaysia.

Assuming Warisan Plus manages to convince MOHE to issue a licence, what will be the nature of the university – will it be public funded or a private institution?

Taking into consideration both Universities and University Colleges Act and Private Higher Educational Institutions Act, it is very likely that Warisan Plus will seek to establish a private university by using state funds, via Yayasan Sabah or others, if and only if the political pact keeps its manifesto promises.

With shrinking public research funding allocations and extremely fierce competition for student recruitment, the proposed university in Sandakan will encounter certain challenges.

If the pledged university is going to be established as a private institution, how much tuition fee will it charge? If it involves a huge quantum, what sort of financial assistance is made available to students who are financially disadvantaged?

Will this university ensure equitable access for social mobility purposes? Or would it rather that the young generation in the state be left to face debts as a result of inadequate or no financial assistance being provided?

A more important question is, can Warisan Plus ensure that no real-property estate developers will profit from the land surrounding this proposed university as a result of development taking place there?

Interestingly, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang offered an unrealistic rosy picture of Sandakan having a new university with the underlying aim of attracting voters’ support for the party’s candidate Calvin Chong there.

As a MP who has been critical of Malaysia’s higher education for decades, Lim does not seem to appreciate the complexities pertaining to the issue of higher education.

A meaningful and better move for Sabah is not to push for a new university, but instead it should insist on academic autonomy. With that, Sabah can develop its own educational ecology so that higher education can effectively serve for the development of the larger society. 

Furthermore, the decentralisation and deregulation of education is what Malaysia desperately needs. 

Unfortunately, no politicians, political parties or self-proclaimed political activists share this vision with the Sabahan people. They have been selectively silent and instead blamed opponents for many things, with education being one of them.

It is quite likely that the former Pakatan Harapan government’s failure in bringing about certain institutional reforms, along with its betrayal of its electoral manifesto, would have made Malaysians to have a change of heart, as well as to feel displeased with empty populism.

Seasoned politicians should do serious self-reflection and repent. Voters deserve policy reform and a new vision on how to resolve problems involving many pertinent issues.

It is high time that Malaysians demand evidence-based policies and responsible politics from politicians.

Politicians who do not make the cut should make way for others who can. – September 21, 2020.

* Chong Kok Boon is a member of Agora Society. He is a self-declared Peter Pan who advocates science in forging a more democratic and humane society.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.