Mukhriz Mahathir has incurred the wrath of DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) wing leaders, who said the Umno Youth chief contender breached the spirit of the Federal Constitution when he called for the closure of vernacular schools in the country.

Penang Dapsy chief Yeoh Soon Hin alleged that Mukhriz's statement that Chinese and Tamil schools threatened the country's racial unity was highly seditious.

penang dapsy lodge report 021208 "We urge the police to take firm and uncompromising action on the seditious remarks on the vernacular schooling system," Yeoh said after lodging a police report against the Jerlun Umno MP today.

Yeoh, who is also Paya Terubong assemblyperson, lodged the report at noon at the Jalan Patani police station located in Georgetown, accompanied by assemblypersons Ng Wei Aik (Kampung Kolam), who is also Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary, R Sanisvara Nethaji Rayer (Seri Delima) and Lau Keng Ee (Pengkalan Kota).

Yeoh also accused Mukhriz of politicising the issue of vernacular schools to further his career in Umno, stressing that Dapsy stood strongly by its stand that the vernacular schooling system was enshrined in the Federal Constitution and approved by national education policies.

"The constitution allows all ethnic groups in this country to learn their mother tongues.

"The existence of the vernacular education system has enriched cultural and lingual diversities and transformed Malaysia into a unique country.

"Indeed such schools have produced great leaders and thinkers, and contributed significantly to the country's socio-economic growth over the years," said Yeoh, a lawyer by training.

Police station heavily guarded

In his call yesterday, Mukhriz, son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, proposed that a single schooling system be implemented in the country, with Bahasa Malaysia as the official medium of instruction.

mukhriz pemuda umno 050906 concerned He also suggested that Chinese and Tamil be taught as compulsory subjects to school children from the respective communities under the single system.

Earlier, policemen guarding the entrance of the police headquarters refused to allow several Dapsy members and newsmen from entering the compound of the police station compound, citing "an order from the top".

However, the group was allowed to go in after Ng intervened and told policemen that the group was on official business.

This is not the first time newsmen and complainants have been refused entry to the police station. During several previous occasions, anti-ISA vigil participants and newsmen were similarly barred from entering the station.