Umno Youth was the target of another round of attack from Keadilan today for what it claimed to be a "seditious" remark posted on the wing's website recently calling on the government to close all Chinese schools in the country.

Keadilan Youth vice chairperson Low Chee Cheung said the remark made by Umno Youth Education bureau chief Dr Adham Baba in response to the opposition from two Chinese education movements on the language switch was "racist and extremist".

Low said Umno Youth simply refused to understand why the two Chinese movements opposed the move but instead preferred to play "racial politics".

"This was the tactics of Umno Youth of the 1960s, they have not changed for the better. All they want to do is scare the Chinese educationists or pressure them to give in to government policies, even bad ones," he told malaysiakini .

"In a democratic country, open debate and discussions should be allowed. On such an important matter like education, all should be allowed to present their views particularly those well versed with the subject," he added.

Police report

Low said that Keadilan leaders would explain the language switch controversy and publicise Adham's 'dangerous' outburst to the people in their ceremah (political talks).

Adham's controversial statement published in the wing's official website under the heading "Chinese education chauvinists's extreme prejudice, government urged to close Chinese schools" has also raised the ire of DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) who lodged a report at the Sea Park police station in Petaling Jaya today.

The two movements, United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) and the United Chinese School Teachers' Association of Malaysia (Jia0 Zong) or collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong, were labelled "extremists" recently by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for their vocal stand on the issue.

Dapsy acting national secretary Loke Siew Fook (photo) told reporters after lodging the report that Adham should not question the right of Malaysians to vernacular education which is stipulated in the Federal Constitution.

Burden to children

Citing a court case in 1971 when Malay daily Utusan Melayu was found guilty of sedition for carrying a report headlined "Abolish Chinese and Tamil schools in the country", Loke said Adham's statement had also violated the Sedition Act.

Meanwhile, Low also said that the 4:3:2 formula or 50 periods affecting even Standard One pupils will not help students improve their English.

"Ask any professor. They will tell you that such a burden will lead to students losing interest in their studies. Why do we need to pressure our children at such a tender age (seven years old)" he asked.

In a related development, Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung (photo) warned DJZ "not to go overboard when voicing the [language] issue".

Speaking in Kangar, Perlis yesterday, Chor said although the government does not plan to use the Internal Security Act, other laws such as the Sedition Act can be used against those going to the extreme in opposing the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English.

Chor, who is state MCA chief, was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times that the government had given the people an opportunity to voice their views on the matter.

Seditious in nature

He added that if the Chinese educationist movement continued to oppose the government, then its action could be considered seditious in nature.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had also recently issued a reminder to concerned groups not to accuse the government of "spelling the end of Mandarin" through the teaching of the two subjects in English.

While the language switch aims to arrest the decline of students' proficiency in English, this has met with strong criticism from several quarters including Malay and Tamil educationists.

Vernacular education movements questioned the rationale behind the teaching of the two technical subjects in English to improve students' command of the language.

Most vocal among these groups, Dong Jiao Zong, warned that the move was the first step towards obliterating the use of Mandarin as a teaching medium in Chinese schools.