5. Meritocracy: A form of government based on fair competition and excellence. Of course, while claims are made for this form of governance, it can not exist without equality of opportunity. This is a reflexive relationship. The more opportunity a community or class has, the more capacity for merit its members might accrue. Less opportunity for the group will make it harder for individuals to achieve thge so called ‘meritorious’ results. Unmitigated meritocracy might bring what I call synchronic justice, but it might be unjust in terms of the history of opportunity. This historical dimension can be addressed by affirmative action, which might enable what I term diachronic justice. Malaysia’s NEP is a case in point. The problem, however, is that it is very difficult to ascertain when diachronic justice has been done and the goal must be reset to synchronic justice .
Updated 22.11.2023
Nahvin Muthusamy used his speech as a Royal Education Award winner at the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka’s (UTeM) 19th convocation ceremony, to call for an end to racial quotas and a turn towards Meritocracy in Malaysian higher education. Is it time to pivot from diachronic justice to synchronic justice? Are the Malays ready to compete without a handicap? If, as the infamous exchange between another young Indian student and the Prime Minister of Malaysia at the Kolej Matrikulasi Pulau Pinang confirms, the answer to these questions is a resounding -NO!; are we at least ready to modify our ethnocentric quota system, to better ameliorate the devastating narrowing of opportunity it brings to the least fortunate non-Malays?
The Koboi Project 
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