After almost 50 years of independence, the Barisan Nasional government is masking its own failures by insisting on de facto unity among Malaysians of all races and creeds.

BN leaders are now trying to divert blame to the Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zhong (DJZ), by accusing them of being chauvinistic in their bid to maintain Mandarin as a language of instruction for Mathematics and Science in Chinese schools.

BN's vicious attacks are spouted out of either ignorance or bias, and are ploys to mislead the Malay community and perhaps to instigate fear and hatred of the Chinese educationists.

Yet in truth, the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools have since the 1970s set unified examinations papers in all three languages: English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia to give students a choice in using the language at which they are most adept.

DZJ opposes the introduction of English as the language of instruction among primary school students whom they feel will benefit more from learning in their mother tongue at a tender age.

In actual fact, BN has been trying to demolish Malaysia's cultural diversity by implementing apartheid-like policies in several ways:

  • the unconstitutional division of bumiputera and non-bumiputera mimicking the Afrikaner nativism in South Africa during the apartheid regime;

  • acutely curtailing government funds for vernacular schools  and

  • adopting a colonial mentality a la the British, by allowing only one official language and declaring its supremacy over others.

    • During apartheid rule, the South African government allowed only English and Afrikaans as the official languages in the face of tens of other African native languages.

    The liberated South Africa adopted 11 official languages including English and Afrikaaans. The new Constitution requires the South African government not only to allow citizens to study any language but also the right to learn in their own mother tongue. The government is required to fund all schools equally.

    There is no repressive law such as the Internal Security Act in new South Africa, hanging over one's head while openly discussing such issues as language of instruction in schools. The ISA was repealed by the apartheid regime before the release of key political figures such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.

    What has the regime under Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad done to repeal all oppressive laws and release all political prisoners including Anwar Ibrahim and the 'reformasi six'? Mahathir and BN are more fascist that the apartheid regime.

    DJZ has been upfront about not only the education issue but also human rights and repeals of repressive laws such as the ISA. The powers-that-be have an ulterior motive to destroy DZJ, which has been one of the most severe critics of BN's human rights records and ISA. BN is working hard to remove this thorn in the flesh by branding it as "chauvinistic". In reality, BN is the "chauvinist", not DZJ.

    The disunity among Malaysians is brought on by repressive laws that hijack our rights, future and inspirations. BN is the real culprit behind all the disunity in the country.