UMNO Youth Chief Dato’ Dr Akmal Saleh’s demand for MCA President Datuk Seri Ir. Dr Wee Ka Siong to apologise to the Ministry of Higher Education is unreasonable. As a Member of Parliament, Dr Wee has every right and responsibility to speak up for students who are confronted with unfair treatment. He is fulfilling his duty, and there is no basis to demand an apology.

Recently, Edward Wong, a top scoring student from Bukit Mertajam, obtained near-perfect STPM results. Despite this, he was rejected by six public universities for an accounting degree. Yet he was offered admission through the SATU direct intake channel – but with tuition fees ten times higher than the UPU admission. This is a flawed and unfair system that has caused frustration and disappointment.

When Dr Wee called for universities to provide an explanation, it was based on facts and guided by principles of fairness. His intention was to uphold integrity in the system and safeguard public confidence in higher education. This is the responsibility of any people’s elected representative and certainly not something that requires an apology.

The Ministry of Higher Education has since denied shortcomings in the UPU system, claiming that the issue lies in the large number of top scorers. Yet, without transparent data to support this claim, such explanations are difficult to accept. As Dr Wee rightly asked, can it truly be the case that all 1,127 outstanding students applied only for accounting?

With these circumstances, the one who should apologise is not Dr Wee, but Akmal himself. His repeated use of sensitive issues to provoke emotions and sow division for political gain is deeply irresponsible. Such conduct risks breaching the law, such as the Sedition Act, and poses a threat to national security and social harmony.

Past actions by Akmal have already stirred unnecessary tension and disrupted public order, including:

1. The incident involving the unintentional inverted and mis-displayed national flag;
2. Agitating sentiments during the “socks controversy” and leading disruptive protests;
3. Mobilising street actions that disrupted businesses and undermined public peace.

These actions have done far more to harm national unity and weakened social stability than Dr Wee’s call for fairness in education.

As UMNO Youth Chief, Dr Akmal should lead by example, prioritising national interest, social harmony, and the welfare of Malaysians. Politics must not be built on intimidation, provocation or insults. It is time for him to put aside narrow racial politics and focus on genuinely serving the rakyat.

Finally, I urge the authorities to treat Dr Akmal’s repeated extreme remarks with the seriousness they warrant and to act in accordance with the law. Only firm and fair action can safeguard peace, uphold justice, and protect the unity of our nation.

Datuk Chris Lee Ching Yong
MCA Central Committee Member

12 September 2025

-MCA Comm-