Chinese education groups today dismissed the government's latest announcement to build three Chinese primary schools as "nothing new".

United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) deputy chairperson Dr Yap Sin Tian said he was not surprised to hear the government's promise to build the schools as it was wont to prior to elections.

"It is just recycling the same news," he said.

Gerakan, a component party of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, is expected to meet opposition DAP in a straight fight in the Ketari by-election next week.

In a Sin Chew Jit Poh front-page report today, Deputy Education Minister Hon Choon Kim was quoted as saying that the government will start the construction of SJK(C) Connaught, SJK(C) Desa Jaya, and SJK(C) Onpong in Selangor in August.

The minister said the schools would be built on three parcels of government land instead of private land to be acquired by the schools as proposed earlier.

He said the construction of these three schools, and another one that was opened in January this year, would have fulfilled the government's promise to the Chinese community made during the 1999 general elections.

Slow progress

However, Yap told malaysiakini today that the progress of the Chinese primary schools has been "slow" and thus the government should not brag about its effort to promote mother-tongue education.

"The promise was made three years ago and only now they are talking about keeping the promise," he lamented.

Asked how confident he was that the construction of the schools would go on as scheduled, Yap replied, "Judging from the past experience, we shall see about it."

He said that the Chinese and Indian vernacular schools still face difficulties in obtaining grants and approval for development as the government has a policy to eventually use only national language Bahasa Melayu as the main medium of instruction.

He pointed out that the so-called new Chinese primary schools were in fact sekolah cawangan (branch schools) of three existing schools which could no longer support the increasing number of students.

"If the government is serious about helping Chinese primary schools, then it should consider building more of them in urban areas which face a shortage of such schools," he said.

Advertisement promised six

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) said the government promised six — not four — Chinese primary schools during the 1999 general elections campaign.

Jiao Zong assistant chief executive secretary Yap Hon Kait said MCA, the second largest ruling party in BN representing Chinese Malaysians, had then advertised that it would build "six new Chinese primary schools" in all major Chinese newspapers.

"The talks about Chinese primary schools on the government's part have been going on for a long, long time," he said.

On the latest proposal that the three schools would be built on government land, he said no political party should claim credit for it as it should have been the responsibility of the government in the first place.

He concurred with Dong Zong's Yap that promises to build more Chinese primary schools would always precede an election.

"I suppose we all know why this is done," he said.

Last week, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had given the assurance that the government could be taken to court for closing any Chinese primary school.

The Ketari state seat fell vacant after its representative Loke Koon Kum from Gerakan passed away early this month.

Nomination is tomorrow while the polling day has been scheduled for March 31. The by-election is expected to be a straight fight between Barisan Nasional's Yum Ah Ha and DAP's Choong Siew Onn.

The constituency has a total of 17,143 voters of which 53.83 percent (9,228) are Malaysian Chinese. Malaysian Malay constitute 39.12 percent (6,701) while Malaysian Indian make up 5.21 percent (843).

When contacted, Choong decried the announcement as just a campaign tactic.

"To show its sincerity, the government should kick-start the construction of the three schools immediately before the polling day instead on waiting for August," he said.

BN's Yum could not reached for comment despite numerous attempts.