KUCHING: The Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) newly announced pathway for Chinese middle school students to enter public universities has drawn criticism for failing to grant formal recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
Gerald Goh, organising secretary of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Batu Kitang, said the initiative “does not constitute formal recognition of the UEC.”
“Instead, it merely offers UEC holders an additional application channel into public universities, leaving the qualification itself unrecognised within the national education system. Students must still follow a ‘special pathway’ to compete for a limited number of placements,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Goh described the move as technical procrastination rather than genuine recognition, noting that it does not alter the institutional status of the UEC nor create a fair and inclusive tertiary education system.
He also noted that the scheme closely mirrors the Najib-era model, which required applicants to obtain a credit in SPM Bahasa Malaysia and a pass in History before applying to public universities—a policy DAP had then criticised as “insincere” and “mere political window dressing.”
“The current initiative appears to be little more than a political gesture following DAP’s electoral setbacks in Sabah, aimed at placating public sentiment rather than addressing structural issues in education.
“Recognition of the UEC has never been a technical matter—it is a question of political will. After years in power, DAP still lacks the courage to grant institutional recognition,” Goh said.
Goh added that Pakatan Harapan’s original election manifesto explicitly promised recognition of the UEC, but that commitment has now been reduced to “offering an additional pathway.”
“This is not merely a dilution of policy—it reflects a collapse of commitment and credibility,” he said.
