MALAYSIA'S ruling coalition is continuing its campaign to win back the huge bank of non-Malay votes it lost to an opposition alliance in polls last year.

Last Saturday, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced new scholarships that would allow the best students - regardless of race - to pursue higher studies.

This tackles a major minority grouse, especially among many Chinese, who have seen numerous top students fail to get government help.

Separately, it has also been announced that more cultural programmes catering to minorities will be shown on government television.

Datuk Seri Najib, when revealing that a category of Public Service Department scholarships will be introduced next year based purely on merit, explicitly said that he was sure such a category would be welcomed by all communities, including the Chinese.

"We are re-studying the distribution of scholarships," he said, which, along with other changes, would mean "a more level playing field", reported The Star.

Mr Najib was speaking at an event organised by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) - the major ethnic-Chinese partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition - and the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia. The MCA was devastated in the last election, when Chinese votes were cast overwhelmingly for opposition parties.

However, minorities will wait to see the make-up and proportion of the best scholarships, such as to institutions abroad, before celebrating.

Mr Najib said the new scheme would allow Malaysia-s best students to receive aid to pursue higher studies, "so (that)...the creme de la creme will get aid for higher studies". Then, addressing that portion of the majority-Malay electorate that is fiercely defensive of the country-s affirmative-action programmes, he said that contrary to perceptions, not all Chinese were rich.

"Like all Malaysians, they also want to see their children have a good education and become successful. All this involves costs," he said, adding that every race had its needs and if the government could bring about policies that were fair, the Chinese would support the BN.

Meanwhile,Malaysia's Information, Communication and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, said yesterday that state broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia would allow more space for the broadcasting of cultural and arts programmes of ethnic minorities.

According to Bernama, he said that the culture and arts of minorities like the Sikhs, Portuguese, Orang Asli (indigenous peoples), the Babas and Nyonyas and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak should be brought to the forefront - not just through news or documentaries.

"We will also seek out the other minority groups and see how they can all get their rightful place under the Malaysian sun.

"We have to give them the chance, and convince them the government is sincere in wanting to work with them," he was quoted as saying at the launch of a coffee-table book, The Sikh Community In Malaysia.

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