KUALA LUMPUR June 30 (Bernama) -- The Public Service Department (JPA) gave 843 scholarships to bumiputera students under the foreign degree programme this year.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said they include bumiputera students from Sabah and Sarawak.
He said 657 non-bumiputera students received scholarships under the foreign degree programme, proof that non-bumiputeras were not sidelined by the government.
Winding up debate on the Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP) in Dewan Rakyat Wednesday, he said JPA gave 1,500 scholarships to excellent students based on merit, race, bumiputeras (Sabah and Sarawak) and the socially disadvantaged.
Of the 300 scholarships on merit, only 59 or 20 percent were given to bumiputera students while 241 or 80 percent went to non-bumiputeras.
"The Chinese received 209 scholarships (70%), Indians 30 (10%) and others 0.7%) under the merit category," Nazri said.
For the race quota, bumiputeras received 557 scholarships (61.8%), non-bumiputeras 343 (38.1%), Sabah and Sarawak races 150 while the socially disadvantaged 150.
-- BERNAMA
PEKAN, June 8 — Six members of a family died when the Proton Iswara car they were travelling in collided with a trailer at KM78 along the Kuantan-Segamat road near Pekan, at 8.45 last night.
Pekan Deputy OCPD, DSP Amran Sidek said those who died in the tragedy were the car driver, Norfaizah Mansor, 31, her four children Norsyahira Atika Saudi, 13, Norsufia Saudi, 10, Norsuhaila Saudi, seven, and Mohd Shahrul Amir Saudi, three, as well as Norfaizah’s younger brother, Mohd Saiful Anwar Mansor, 14.
Amran said all the victims were returning home to Pekan after visiting Norfaizah’s parents in Keratong 2, Rompin when the accident happened.
“Upon reaching the scene of the accident near Kampung Runchang, the Proton Iswara, which was coming from the direction of Segamat, tried to overtake the vehicle in front but failed and collided with a trailer coming from the opposite direction,” he told reporters, here today.
Amran said both vehicles failed to avoid a collision, resulting in the Proton Iswara ending up under the trailer.
He said all the victims died on the spot due to serious injuries on the head and chest while the 44-year-old trailer driver and his wife, 43, suffered minor leg injuries.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act.
Meanwhile, Norfaizah’s father, Mansor Hamid, 55, said he did not expect that his children’s and grandchildren’s visit would end up in such tragedy.
“Normally, the youngest grandchild would not follow the mother back to Pekan, but this time, everyone wanted to go back,” said Mansor who came to know of the tragedy at 11pm and immediately rushed to the scene.
Norfaizah’s mother, Arfah Sulung, 54, said her daughter came home with her younger brother and children because she wanted to meet her husband, who works in Bukit Ibam, Muadzam Shah.
“My son-in-law had planned to take my daughter and their children to Melaka on a vacation during the school holidays,” she said. — Bernama
