Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, chairman of MARA and Umno secretary-general, held a press conference today affirming that the proposed MARA Hospital will serve patients of all races, rejecting claims it is exclusive to Bumiputera communities [1, 2, 3]. "This has nothing to do with race. The hospital is for everyone. We will not choose our patients. Professionally, doctors cannot choose whether to treat Bumiputera or non-Bumiputera patients. That is not our intention," he said [1].
The MARA Hospital is planned to complete MARA's healthcare education and service ecosystem by providing a clinical training ground and a service hospital, complementing MARA’s existing healthcare initiatives covering medical studies, biomedical sciences, health instrument maintenance, and clinic and pharmacy networks [2].
Asyraf also addressed calls from PKR Youth (Angkatan Muda Keadilan) for him to resign as MARA chairman, which he dismissed as political pressure. He emphasized he will only step down if Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi requests it [4, 5, 2, 6, 3]. "I was appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister. If he asks me to step down, I will comply. The person entitled to ask for my resignation is Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, not PKR Youth," he said [5]. Reiterating the point, Asyraf stated, "If the Rural and Regional Development Minister asks me to step down, I will step down — but not because of pressure from AMK or Parti Keadilan" and "I was appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister, and he asked me to quit, I will. But not at the insistence of any other party" [6, 3].
He was responding to issues raised during the recent Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Lembaga Tabung Haji corruption allegations. Asyraf clarified that his name was never mentioned or implicated in the RCI report related to Tabung Haji [4, 5, 2, 6, 3]. He described efforts to link him to the RCI controversy as attempts to damage MARA's reputation [5, 2, 3].
Asyraf highlighted MARA’s origins under UMNO leadership in 1964, noting that the agency serves to empower Bumiputera education and the economic agenda. Over the last three years, he has focused on strengthening MARA's governance, education programs, and Bumiputera entrepreneurship initiatives [5, 2, 6, 3].
The commitment to a non-discriminatory patient policy at the MARA Hospital and the clarification on leadership succession come amid ongoing political tensions and scrutiny over governance in MARA and related agencies. The proposed hospital remains a key element in MARA's expanding role in healthcare education and services.
Asyraf's statement today marks a definitive stance on hospital inclusivity and his leadership position. The next developments will depend on any formal request from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regarding the MARA chairmanship [4, 5, 2, 6, 3].
