No birthday present for Chinese school

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s high-profile presence at the 90th anniversary dinner of the Chong Hwa independent high school last night proved to be a major let-down.

The high expectations of educationists and the school authorities dissipated in the hot air he generated in his speech that was mere rhetoric, according to a source.

There was much build-up to the event, as it was the first time a prime minister has visited a Chinese independent secondary school.

The original date for the dinner was Dec 19 but, to accommodate Najib’s schedule, the school - located in Kuala Lumpur - had brought it forward.

Yesterday, the Chinese press front-paged Najib’s congratulatory statement heaping praise on Chinese independent secondary schools as an important asset that cultivates talent for the country.

This led educationists to hope that the sector would finally receive government funding, while the school authorities anticipated the allocation of an adjacent plot of reserve land, so that a gymnasium can be built.

However, Najib’s half-hour speech turned out to be little more than a charm offensive before an audience of some 11,000.

He opened his speech with a Mandarin version of salam 1Malaysia greeting.

Then he went down memory lane, recalling that as education minister in 1996, he had amended the Education Act to add a clause to ensure the survival of Chinese independent schools.

Najib said that, while other countries have implemented an assimilation policy, the Barisan Nasional government has practised tolerance.

Its policies are based on mutual respect, allowing people to choose their own way of life, speak their own language and enjoy freedom of religion, he said.

Hence, Malaysia has the highest number of Chinese schools outside China.

Mandarin for Malays?

Then came an exhortation to Malaysians, especially Malays, to learn Mandarin because of its importance in a world where China is an economic superpower.

"It may be too late for me to learn Mandarin, but I hope to see more Malays learn the language in the future,” said Najib.

As an example, he cited his son Norashman, a student at Georgetown University in Washington DC, who is taking intensive Mandarin classes five days a week.

Norashman will be fluent in Mandarin four years' time, so “maybe, one day, I may invite him to give a speech in Mandarin”, quipped Najib.

School board president Tong Yoke Kim told reporters later that he had raised the land issue with Najib during the dinner, and was told that it would be considered.

Also at the dinner were MCA president Ong Tee Keat, vice-president Liow Tiong Lai, Youth chief Wee Ka Siong, Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon and leaders of Chinese associations and guilds.