Party supports govt on Mara quota issue: DAP MPs
DAP today clarified its stand on the government's decision to impose a 10 percent quota for non-Malays to enter Mara colleges by pledging its support for the move which the party said will help promote national unity.
In a statement distributed in Parliament, DAP said it does not share the critical views of PAS and Keadilan over the issue.
The party added that it had opposed PAS Youth leader Mahfuz Omar's motion to debate the matter in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
"Although the DAP is in the opposition as PAS and Keadilan, we do not share their views on this issue," read the statement signed by 10 DAP members of parliament.
"Kerk Kim Hock (DAP-Kota Melaka) was given the mandate to represent DAP in the debate (yesterday). However, house deputy speaker Lim See Cheng did not allow him to speak during the debate.
"Be it as it may, he managed to state that the DAP opposed the motion," said the MPs.
The opposition party was responding to a malaysiakini report yesterday which said DAP MPs chose to remain silent (during the debate) despite the party supporting the implementation of the quota.
In his debate yesterday, Mahfuz, who is also the MP for Pokok Sena, claimed the government's move violated Article 153 of the Constitution which touches on Malay special rights and privileges.
He asserted that the new quota system would threaten the social fabric and disrupt racial integration.
His views were supported by Keadilan but a Barisan Nasional MP, Ruhanie Ahmad, said the PAS leader's statements were against his party's constitution which calls for equality and the party deputy president Abdul Hadi Awang's stand that the special rights accorded to the Malays should be abolished.
National unity
Meanwhile, DAP said in the era of globalisation and ICT (Information Communications Technology), Malaysia's place in the international economy will not be decided by the competition between bumiputra and non-bumiputra but by its ability to compete with the rest of the world.
"For this reason, we welcome the move to open up places to non-Malays in Mara as it is a move in the right direction in promoting national unity through the building of world class education system," said the MPs.
"However, much more needs to be done to change our mindset that education should not become a racial contest of all Malaysians," they stressed.
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