Indigenous peoples and various ethnic-based education groups will come together to defend their right to mother tongue education at the International Mother Language Day Festival organised by Dong Jiao Zong tomorrow.

Dong Jiao Zong is the collective name for the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) and United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong).

According to the movement o­nce labeled by the government as "extremist" and "chauvinistic" for criticising the new policy o­n English in schools, the festival, which is the first ever in Malaysia, aims to promote non-racial politics among educational organisations.

Recent statements from government sources, of the 'unifying' attributes of a single education system, have worried vernacular school proponents and practioners as to where government policies o­n education might eventually lead to.

Good starting point

"This is a very good starting point to work toward non-racial politics," Dong Zong deputy president Dr Yap Sin Tian said when contacted.

"In the past, Dong Jiao Zong has done very well in defending and building up Chinese education, but we also hope this fight for mother tongue education is not just limited to Chinese education.

"We must break through the racial boundaries and expand our working relationship," he stressed.

"Historical reasons have led to the pluralism of Malaysia and it is our will that minority groups be allowed to retain their traditions. Language carries culture, expresses o­ne's identity.

Our younger generation learn our language through the education provided," said the movement in an earlier statement.

"This is why Dong Jiao Zong took the initiative to hold this event, to share and learn with each other, to preserve our roots."

More than 100 invitations to the festival have been sent to education organisations, civil groups, embassies, non-governmental organisations and human rights bodies, including the authoritative Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

Various ethnic-based groups such as the Malaysian Tamil Education Research and Development Foundation and indigenous education groups such as SPNS and East Malaysia-based Partners in Community Service and Brunoe Research Institute will state their appeals in their respective mother tongues.

Representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) have also been invited to speak.

The celebration, which will also feature an exhibition and a children's presentation, will culminate with the passing of a resolution to promote multilingual education and educational diversity.

Fight for mother tongue

International Mother Language Day which falls o­n Feb 21 was declared by the Unesco in 1999 as a recognition of the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity in representing the universal values that strengthen the unity and cohesion of societies.

The day was proposed by Bangladesh, with Malaysia among the countries seconding it.

The date chosen was in commemoration of five students who died o­n Feb 21 in 1952 when defending the recognition of Bangla as a state language of the former Pakistan, the eastern part of which became Bangladesh after the war of liberation.

The objective of the day is also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based o­n understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang earlier called o­n the government to formally observe the fourth International Mother Language Day in view of Malaysia's unique and distinctive identity as an example of linguistic diversity to the world.

The opposition party will be holding an education forum that day. Speakers include Jiao Zong vice-chairperson Loot Ting Yee, former vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya Prof Dr Syed Hussein al-Attas and Elan Gheliyan from the Group of Concerned Citizens.