On Tuesday, the Statistics Department published the 2023 bumiputra population statistics report which shows that the percentages of bumiputra professionals in three areas: architects (41.2%), lawyers (38.2%) and accountants (31.8%) are below 42%.

Indeed, the percentages of bumi professionals in these three fields are very low compared to the country’s 63.9% bumi population ratio, while non-bumis, which make up only 27.2% of the country’s population, command relatively high percentages of professionals in these three fields at 58.8% to 68.2%.

Thanks to the public university admission quotas, bumi students have significantly higher chances of enjoying the country’s tertiary education resources, compared to their non-bumi compatriots.

The 1971 Majid Report pointed out the imbalance in university student ratios, while bumi students tended to go for humanity courses.

Pursuant to the report, public university admission quotas were introduced, meaning university admission criteria henceforth were no longer based on a student’s academic performance alone.

Half a century after the introduction of university admission quotas, first batch of students admitted under the quota system are now in their seventies. But, why after 50 year of preferential government policy, the ratios of bumi professionals still lag far behind non-bumis today?

And we still have not taken into account the number of medical practitioners, electronic engineers, mechanical and civil engineers, ICT, aeronautics, pharmaceutical, and AI professionals serving in the private sector!

Although non-bumis have had their chances of accessing local government tertiary education restricted all these 50 years, they can still achieve something if they work hard.

On the contrary, the country’s quota system has failed to lift the number as well as performance of bumi professionals in the job market.

Former prime minister Tun Mahathir said in 2004 that the employment rate of Malay graduates was lower than the Chinese because the Chinese knew how to choose the right (job-oriented) courses, making them more competitive in the job market than bumi graduates.

Additionally, bumi graduates, in particular those hailing from Malay-speaking environment, are typically handicapped in English communication.

In the realistic job market, employers will only hire those who can communicate effectively with them, especially foreign employers.

What Mahathir said almost two decades ago is still relevant today, as a matter of fact.

Two months ago, a bumi engineering graduate with first-class honours from a local university grumbled on social media that he could not secure a job offer because of poor English communication, while those who bragged a lot could easily get their offers.

To be honest, those offered jobs are not merely boastful, but at least they know how to communicate well with their interviewers!

Besides, a significant percentage of bumi students sponsored by the government would choose courses such as Islamic law, history or other religious courses, and few would take up English or other subjects commanding better economic (or employment) values.

June 2006, of the 169 bumi students sent to Al-Azhar University in Cairo, only five managed to pass the Arabic test, much to the embarrassment of the Malaysian government.

This September, Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli said failure to get admission into a university and working in a non-professional field are the main reasons for low pay and slow pay rise. And this phenomenon exists not just among different ethnic communities but within the same community as well.

Rafizi said the fact would be distorted if we only compare among different communities, but the thing is, this will also depend on how many in a specific community are hired in well-paying jobs.

Today, there are a lot more non-bumis working as professionals such as accountants, lawyers, architects and engineers, and many are hired in the private sector.

There are only about 30% of bumi students furthering their studies in universities, remarkably lower than the Chinese. For instance, about 60 to 85% of independent Chinese high school graduates in the country proceed to universities.

It is imperative that the government look into the phenomenon of bumi graduates unable to get jobs in professional fields.

The government should perhaps install a remedial mechanism that will allow students completing their studies to continue to receive vocational and professional training in a bid to enhance their employability.