Privilege and Rights of a Bumiputra in Malaysia

Let's talk a bit about privilege.

Before I was offered a MARA scholarship, I attended Kolej Matrikulasi Labuan for a total of 3 days. One night, on the balcony in front of my room, I had a conversation with one of my friends who attended a group session with the rest of the non muslim students (the muslim students had a separate session in the college mosque) that made me just THINK.

During their session, students were called onto the stage according to their SPM results. Predictably, many of the students standing on the stage when straight A students were called were non-Malays/Bumiputeras.
I remember listening to her describe the shame when comparing herself to them. I remember thinking that even the SPM result of my school's best student was not as good as half the non Malay/Bumiputra students here.

All these non malay/bumi student whose qualifications are definitely better than my own, what were the possibilities offered to them? I had applied for UPU, JPA and MARA scholarships. I had already been rejected by all but MARA. Still, I had the comfort of hoping for the quota set for former MRSM students for MARA scholarships. What did these other students have? JPA, and other private institution scholarships like Shell, Petronas, Maybank and heck, Sime Darby. I never applied for any of these scholarship because I knew how competitive it was and how well rounded I had to be to secure a spot. I did not allow myself enough time to entertain the thought that many of those straight A students had applied for those scholarships, and was rejected. I knew, that when compared to all these amazing students, I was nothing special. So, I took the easy way in. I chose MARA.

That same night, I received my MARA offer letter. I laughed, I jumped and I cried while my friends congratulated me, telling me that I had worked hard and I deserved it.

That night, I stayed up all night thinking about that balcony conversation I had with my friend and I wondered, did I really, really deserve this?

There has not been a single day since I've been here in the United States that I do not remind myself that had I not been under a MARA scholarship, had I taken my chances with other more competitive scholarships, a non Malay/Bumiputra student of infinitely better qualifications would have been the one sitting in my place, learning from all these wonderful professors.
Had I not been born a Bumiputra, my success would have been entirely dependant on a life long struggle in a pool of very limited resources in which I may or may not have survived.
I was born a Bumiputra and along with that title, I had received my very own walking stick, before I even knew I needed to walk.

Some will say that it is among my rights. The constitution clearly states so.
However, I will not deny the existence of the easy road that this 'right' has paved for me.
And as unfortunate as it is, many Malay/Bumiputra students have abused the privileges offered to them. The recent cases involving overseas scholarship students is enough proof of how ungrateful some of us have become. I have seen friends not attending and failing classes, failing to maintain their GPA not because they could not, but DID NOT try at all. Again and again they are given second chances, only to squander it all away.

I was born into privilege, and I acknowledge that fact.
And I believe that those who deserve it should have these rights/privilege as well.