MCA has slammed participants of the red shirts rally yesterday for demanding the abolition of Chinese vernacular schools.
Its Youth central committee member Quek Tai Seong said Chinese vernacular schools are respectable institutions of education that have produced thousands of excellent students.
This, he said, has nothing to do with Malay dignity, which the participants of the rally gathered to defend yesterday.
“God will not change the fate of a race of people unless they first change. I am proud to be Malaysian and urge us not to fight with emotions.
“Abolishing Chinese vernacular schools will not revive Malay dignity, it is illogical.
“In fact I think Malays actually lose their pride if they abolish Chinese vernacular schools.
“Where have the open-hearted Malays who allowed the schools before gone to?” he asked in a statement.
He said while he upholds Article 152 of the federal constitution, which states that Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, every Malaysian must have the choice of the type of school they want to learn at.
Further, he said, many non-Chinese now attend Chinese vernacular schools, including Malays. This is leading to further national integration, said.
The rally yesterday was organised by the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) as a counter-rally to the Bersih 4 rally, which purportedly offended “Malay pride”.
Pesaka chief Mohd Ali Rustam had alleged Bersih 4 insulted Malays by insulting Malay leaders, using the participants’ call for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s resignation over allegations of corruption as an example.
The two-day Bersih 4 rally on Aug 29 and 30 attracted at least 100,000 people at its peak, while the rally yesterday eventually named ‘Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu’ rally attracted about 45,000, including cabinet ministers.
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