Gerakan has urged the government to immediately suspend the school principal who allegedly told the Chinese and Indian students at her school to "go back to India and China".

NONE In a statement today, its vice-president A Kohilan Pillay ( left ) also urged for the principal to be sacked, if investigations reveal that she had said those words.

He said that swift action is required as the statements allegedly made by the principal "is an affront to our national identity as Malaysians first".

"I urge the government to act fast on this incident to show that it does not tolerate racism. Schools are supposed to be a place to educate our children and young about love and respect.

"Instead, we have someone who is embarrassingly the school principal...telling the students to go back to China or India; it is really regrettable and disheartening," he said.

"How can we guide and nurture our children to think and act as Malaysians, if we adults act like rabid racists ourselves?" he asked.    

Overt racialism

Kohilan said that such remarks, if true, is a symptom of "overt racialism" in the civil service and amongst teachers, which is dangerous if left unchecked.

The Gerakan leader was commenting on allegation that the principal had told Indian and Chinese students to "go back to India and China" at a school assembly last week.

The incident was reported by several parents to the Shah Alam MIC division, who will visit the school tomorrow for explanation.

According to Shah Alam MIC deputy division chief A Prakash Rao, parents claimed that the principal said that when she was scolding the students for being noisy during her speech.

"Based on the complaints I received from the parents, the principal was furious because the students were making a racket during her speech.

"She then scolded all the students, but later targeted the Chinese and Indian students, telling them to 'balik India dan China' (go back to India and China)," Prakash told Malaysiakini .

Malaysiakini has contacted the school for comment but could not reach the principal. It is withholding the school's and principal's names pending their comments.

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