The assurance given by Prime Minister YAB Najib Abdul Razak that Chinese and Tamil schools are here to stay is indeed timely. The Indian community lauds the prime minister’s stand and thanks him for his support and commitment. He has once again said in no uncertain terms that vernacular schools are here to stay, as was envisaged by the nation’s founding fathers.

With his assurance, it is hoped that those who have been calling for a single-stream education system will cease and desist.

In these difficult and challenging times, it is good to go back to the basics. To where we started from. To the vision and foresight of the leaders who fought for independence. It was they who rejected the British proposal to have only one English language educational stream. It was due to their insistence and foresight that Malaysia is one its way to achieving fully-developed nation status, barring global economic downturns.

So, if the past has served us well, we should not tamper with policies already cast in stone. The past has served us well, and the lessons of the past will continue to serve us well in the future.

It is hoped that those who have been advancing reasons for wanting to change the educational system will finally see the folly of their arguments. Their fear that one race is threatened and that the current system is the cause of the erosion of support for the government is certainly unfounded. There are many cogent reasons to prove that their arguments do not have merit.

Recently, MIC president Dr S Subramaniam told a convention of party leaders of the Youth, Wanita, Putera and Puteri wings that there was no reason why any race should feel threatened. One race currently dominates the armed forces, the civil service, and are in control of the federal and most state governments, but the other races do not feel threatened. They know they need not.

They know the Barisan Nasional government which is made up of representatives from all racial and sub-racial groups, has been fair. Of course not everybody is always happy with everything but that’s why we have roundtable discussions to resolve outstanding issues amicably.

It is a fact that many of today’s successful professionals, businessmen and others were products of our vernacular schools. I am sure we can look forward to many more rising stars to come from these vernacular schools.

I feel those who are still harping on this single-school stream issue should instead seek ways to resolve all the other pressing issues that the nation is currently facing including our economic challenges.

JASPAL SINGH is a senator and former MIC treasurer-general.