LDP calls for 20pc quota for Chinese UEC students in Sabah civil service, UMS
Published on: Wed, Jul 02, 2025 Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Datuk Chin Su Phin has called on the GRS-led Sabah Government to implement a 20 per cent quota for Chinese Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) students in the civil service and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). He said that while the State's recognition of the UEC is welcomed, it must be followed by concrete policies to ensure fair access to public sector jobs and higher education for qualified Chinese students. Chin stressed that many academically capable UEC graduates continue to face barriers due to the lack of a structured and transparent entry pathway. He added that the underrepresentation of UEC students in public institutions pushes many to seek opportunities outside Sabah or even abroad. Chin urged the State Government to take the lead in introducing inclusive policies, saying the proposed quota would help retain local talent and reflect Sabah's multiracial identity. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Austria deports first Syrian since civil war, says more will follow
VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's conservative-led government said on Thursday it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian back to their home country in almost 15 years, making it the first European Union country to do so since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. The unnamed Syrian man had been convicted of an unspecified crime in November 2018, given a seven-year sentence and stripped of his refugee status, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, adding that he could not go into specifics. The Syrian man's legal adviser, Ruxandra Staicu, declined to specify the nature of his conviction but said he was 32. "A Syrian criminal was deported from Austria to Syria today, specifically to Damascus," Karner told reporters, pledging that more would follow soon. "I believe it is an extremely important signal that Austria is pursuing a tough, strict, forceful but fair asylum policy in that those who endanger others, criminals, will be removed from the country," he added. While EU member states including Austria and Germany have been keen to strike agreements with Syria's new Islamist-led government to enable deportations, rights groups have said it is too early to tell how the security situation will evolve and whether it is truly safe to deport people there. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's move will create a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to deport Syrians amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the bloc. "There is no reliable information on how the new regime will treat the returnee. In this volatile situation, it is irresponsible to conduct a deportation simply for PR reasons," said Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, a lawyer and spokesperson for Asylum Coordination Austria, a platform of Austrian NGOs. TOUGH STANCE Austria's three-party ruling coalition has made a tough stance on immigration one of its hallmarks as it seeks to erode support for the far-right Freedom Party, which came first in September's parliamentary election with an even harder line on what has long been a prominent issue in national politics. Within days of President Bashar al-Assad's fall from power in December, Austria's previous government, led by the same conservative People's Party in power now, suspended the processing of Syrians' asylum claims and said it would work towards repatriating Syrians already in the country. Syrians are the top nationality among asylum seekers and refugees in Austria since 2015, Interior Ministry data show. Austrian law allows the authorities to revoke a refugee's status in some cases within five years of it being granted. "There will be, and will have to be, other deportations towards Syria. These are also being prepared," Karner said, also mentioning Afghanistan, another country that many refugees and asylum seekers in Austria come from. (Reporting by Francois MurphyAdditional reporting by Amina Ismail in Cairo Editing by Gareth Jones)
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
US aircraft carrier makes Philippines port call
MANILA: The nuclear-powered US carrier George Washington arrived off the Philippine capital Thursday for a port visit, as the two allies increase defence cooperation aimed at contesting China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The Nimitz-class vessel's port call came the same day that China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling its assertion has no merit. 'The US Navy along with our allies and partners are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the ship's spokesman, Lieutenant-Commander Mark Langford, told AFP by email, without offering further details about the visit. 'These operations demonstrate the commitment to stability in the region, a commitment we uphold throughout the year and regardless of current events,' Langford said, calling the Philippines a 'long-standing and critical ally'. Manila and Washington have deepened their cooperation since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's South China Sea claims. Bound by a 1951 mutual defence treaty, the two allies conduct frequent maritime exercises in the South China Sea. The Philippine and US coast guards in May conducted their first-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation's coastal waters. The Shandong, which sailed off the northern Philippines in April, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday after concluding combat drills in the western Pacific alongside fellow Chinese aircraft carrier the Liaoning. The US Department of Defense said in a December report that China numerically has the largest navy in the world, with a battle force of more than 370 ships and submarines. – AFP
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
India says successor to 14th Dalai Lama can only be chosen by established conventions
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday (July 3) dismissed China's asseration that any successor to the 14th Dalai Lama will need Beijing's approval, stating that the decision regarding his successor lies solely with the Dalai Lama and the established conventions. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is representing the Indian government at the event to celebrate Dalai Lama's 90th birthday in Dharamshala, said the Dalai Lama holds a deeply significant position not only for Tibetans but also for millions of his followers around the world, and the decision regarding his successor lies solely with the Tibetan spiritual leader. Rijiju, who is himself a practicising Buddhist, stressed that the Dalai Lama is the 'most important and defining institution' of the Buddhist community worldwide and his Incarnation will be decided by the established convention. Rijiju's remarks come after China's objection to the Dalai Lama's official announcement that the 600-year-old institution of a spritual head of the Buddhist community will continue and that the successor to the 14th Dalai Lama will be chosen by the Gaden Phodrang Trust. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, had clearly stated that Beijing had no authority to interfere in the decision. 'I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,' the Dalai Lama had said in an official statement. Reacting to the announcement, China said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the Chinese government. 'The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn, and approved by the central government,' Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday. - The Statesman/ANN
