An opposition leader has blamed the Education Ministry for the shower room canteen controversy, accusing it of failing to inculcate respect for all religions.

Commenting on the incident, which ignited a firestorm of protest, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Malaysians should vent their frustration at the ministry instead.

dap special meeting 110313 lim guan eng "Malaysians have a right to be angry at such an irresponsible and irrational action by the SK Sri Pristana school authorities," he added in a press statement today.

While Lim commended Malaysians for uniting in a show of disdain against the school authorities, he, hoever, said the ministry’s failure reflected the attitude of BN leaders.

"Such insensitivity towards non-Muslims can be shown by the refusal of the federal government to act against Perkasa leaders Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin," he added.

In contrast, Lim said sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were punished despite apologising for their controversial jest.

The DAP leader also zeroed in on other BN parties, questioning their continued presence in the ruling coalition.

"MIC, Gerakan and MCA ' s continued presence in BN despite their complete irrelevance and failure to make any significant contribution to BN show that these discredited parties favour the perks and privileges of office more than the principles and policies that benefit the rakyat.

"How can these political parties still remain in a coalition that seeks to represent only one community or one section of Malaysians?" he asked.

With such incidents happening, Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said parents cannot be faulted for wanting to enrol their children in vernacular schools as opposed to national schools.

On Monday, photographs which allegedly showed non-Muslim students of SK Seri Pristina in Sungai Buloh being made to eat in a shower room during fasting month were posted online.

Following the uproar, the school headmaster claimed that the students were asked to use the room as the canteen was under renovation.

Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan, who visited the school this afternoon, also denied that the incident was related to race or religion.

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