DAP slams Umno Youths threat against Chinese education movement

comments     Yusof Ghani     Published     Updated

DAP today chastised an Umno Youth exco member for warning influential Chinese education movement, Dong Jiao Zong, that it will face a fate similar to lobby group Suqiu, if it continues to champion Chinese education in this country.

In a statement to malaysiakini , party national chairperson Lim Kit Siang described Dr Zamri Abdul Kadir's remark as "downright provocative, irresponsible, unacceptable, and intolerable in the democratic politics of a plural Malaysia".

Lim questioned whether Umno Youth was threatening to repeat its 'gangsterish act' against Dong Jiao Zong as it did to Suqiu two years ago.

Prior to the 1999 election, Suqiu (Chinese Organisations Election Appeal Committee) made a 17-point appeal to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad which among others, called for the abolishment of the distinction between bumiputras and non-bumiputras.

However, the following year, Mahathir slammed the organisation and likened them to the communists.

Following this, Umno Youth organised a rowdy demonstration outside the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, which housed Suqiu, and threatened to raze the building to the ground.

'Bathe in blood'

"Malaysians have not forgotten that Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo who was an Umno Youth exco at the time said the Malays were willing to bathe in blood to defend their privileges," said Lim.

The DAP leader said the threat to Dong Jiao Zong confirmed his judgement that Umno Youth has yet to prove that it could keep abreast with the changes and challenges in the era of globalisation.

"If Umno Youth and Zamri are really convinced that Dong Jiao Zong and Chinese schools in Malaysia are stumbling blocks to nation-building and national integration, they should have the courage to engage in a dialogue with Dong Jiao Zong instead," said Lim.

Yesterday, when speaking at the Umno annnual general assembly, Zamri blamed the education movement for putting too much emphasis on Chinese education that "they forget that they are also Malaysians".

"This sentiment is very dangerous. It can affect the national integration, and we will fight anyone who act as stumbling block towards national integration," said Zamri, who is from Umno's Teluk Intan division in Perak.

He also warned Chinese newspapers against playing up the education issue.

National intergration

In a related development, the Federation of Peninsular Malaysia Students Associations (GPMS) expressed support for the Umno Youth leader's statement.

Its secretary-general Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad said non-Malays must accept the idea of vision schools in promoting national integration.

"The Malays have sacrificed a lot in its effort to create national integration in Malaysia, but the non-Malays refuse to do their part," he said.

"GPMS hopes that the Chinese leaders from MCA and Gerakan can take proactive measures to explain to the Chinese here about the importance of creating national integration through a common education system," he said.

The vision school concept was introduced by the government to place three primary schools of different teaching mediums Malay, Mandarin and Tamil in the same compound with the expressed aim of promoting integration and unity among students of various races.

However, Dong Jiao Zong said that the government had introduced the project so that it can implement a new system of school administration and structure to gradually achieve its ''ulterior motive'' of a monolingual education policy.



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