Teo Nie Ching today decried the double standards of an independent Chinese high school being warned by the Johor Education Department against renting its hall to DAP.

In a statement, the DAP international secretary questioned why similar rules were not applied when a national school in Putrajaya was used in an event featuring Umno, where pupils were even made to sing the party song.

"Did the Education Department issue any warning letter to the headmaster?" she asked.

Teo was referring to a report that the Pei Chun High School (Independent) in Pontian, Johor, was issued a warning letter from the Johor Bahru Education Department on April 5.

The department allegedly warned that the school and its management risked invoking an RM5,000 fine or possible jail time, or both, should it rent out its hall to DAP.

Read more: Education Dept slammed for threatening Chinese school for hall rent to DAP

Teo said that the independent school received no funding from the government, and its hall was built by its board of directors from public funds – meaning that the state Education Department had no right to interfere in rental matters.

She demanded both the Johor Education Department and the Education Ministry to come out with a proper explanation on the issue.

"Why did they not serve any warning letter to the school when it rented the same hall to BN component parties Gerakan and MCA, just last month?

“Is this selective and malicious prosecution?

"And more importantly, if pupils were made to sing the Umno party song and wave Umno's flag during an event in October last year, and yet no action is being taken against the school, then why is it wrong for Pei Chun Independent School to rent its hall to DAP to organise an event?" she asked, before calling on the Education Ministry to serve the rakyat, and not BN.