MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (left) and party youth chief Ling Tiang Soon (right) with Lim Chin Hong (centre).
JOHOR BARU: The top STPM scorer who was allegedly rejected by public universities from taking engineering courses due to his disabilities has secured a place in Universiti Malaya, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said Lim Chin Hong, who scored a perfect CGPA of 4.0, has been admitted into Universiti Malaya to pursue a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
"What has happened here must serve as a reference, a precedent case, to pave the way for a policy that truly protects the rights of the physically challenged community.
"The phrase ‘no discrimination against OKU’ cannot remain mere lip service. It must be proven in practice," said Dr Wee, who is also Ayer Hitam MP, in a statement on Sunday (Sept 7).
Dr Wee also thanked Universiti Malaya and others who helped, especially Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman.
On Aug 18, Dr Wee highlighted Lim’s story, a student with disabilities who achieved excellent results but was unable to secure a place in a public university to pursue the course of his choice.
Lim, who is from Ayer Hitam, Johor, scored straight As in Pengajian Am, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia exams last year.
However, when Lim, a science stream student from SMK Yong Peng, applied to public universities, all the engineering courses he selected were removed from the system, forcing him to pick other options against his will.
"A student’s physical condition should never be a reason to deny him the chance to pursue his passion and career," Dr Wee had said in his Aug 18 post.
After Dr Wee revealed Lim’s story, the top scorer received overwhelming support from universities and a philanthropist, with several offering him full scholarships.
"After I highlighted his journey, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology were the very first to offer him a place in his preferred course with full scholarship," he said in a Facebook post on Aug 20.
Dr Wee said Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation and UCSI University later made similar offers, while another organisation and a Singaporean philanthropist pledged to cover his education expenses in full.
