BN Youth has urged the federal government view seriously allegations against a secondary school headmaster who uttered racist remarks against Chinese and Indian students in Kulai, Johor, recently.

NONE “If it is true, severe punishment must be meted out to give a strong signal that actions that are against the 1Malaysia concept, which instils national unity, should be handled appropriately,” said BN Youth in a statement, which was posted on the movement’s leader Khairy Jamaluddin’s website.

The movement recommended that the headmaster involved be probed under Section 504 of the Penal Code which covers “intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace”.

BN Youth’s statement said that this incident, along with a similar incident involving former special officer to the Prime Minister’s Office Nasir Safar, showed that racism was a systemic problem which can easily cause conflict.

In view of this, BN Youth urged the government to not only take punitive measures against the headmaster, but also find ways to instill patriotism and unity among the public, especially civil servants.

“It is common knowledge that racism is a two-way process and it is not limited to statements and actions of Malays on non-Malays, but also vice-versa.

“BN Youth urges all parties to be prudent and avoid polemics and racial conflict while we try to find common solutions. This is the challenge of 1Malaysia,” read the statement.

  DPM slammed over silence

Seventeen police reports have been lodged against SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra headmaster Siti Inshah Mansor against her Aug 12 speech  during the school opening of a National Day campaign

While speaking about disciplinary issues, Siti Inshah had allegedly said Chinese students should “go back” to China while equating prayer strings worn by Indian students to a dog’s leash.

Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua slammed Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for being tight-lipped over the incident thus far.

“Such a statement must be condemned immediately and without reservation for it tantamounts to an attempt to divide Malaysians, and opposes the 1Malaysia ideals.  

 “By choosing to remain silent, Muhyiddin has again demonstrated his reluctance to endorse the 1Malaysia concept beyond just paying lip service,” he said in a statement today.

He also claimed that there appears to be an attempt to cover up the incident in view of Education Ministry director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom’s claim yesterday that the incident was merely a “misunderstanding” and the matter had been resolved between the headmaster and the students.

“Malaysians fail to see how the uttering of such a crude and completely insensitive statement could be caused by any ‘misunderstanding’ and see the action by the education ministry as a complete cover up,” added Pua.

Similarly, MIC president S Samy Vellu described the headmaster’s remark as “seditious” and urged the education ministry to punish her.

“The punishment must commensurate with the offence,” he said in a statement today after chairing the party’s central working committee (CWC) meeting.

“Statements of this nature made before the March 2008 general election has made the Indians feel hurt and alienated from the government. Thus, Indians had drifted away from the BN.

“To say the least, this statement is insulting and offensive to Indians and had created doubts in their minds and is against the true meaning of 1Malaysia,” he added.

He said that the CWC had resolved today  that an apology from the headmaster would not suffice.