YOURSAY | ‘Nothing has changed since Dr M held the portfolio, except the colour of shoes.’

Education Ministry wants greater cross-cultural exposure in schools, varsities

Anonymous 1421406986: How does it benefit a nation when only one particular community benefits from religious lessons to become better human beings, without allowing other races to have a better understanding of their own religion?

What is the motive of the government here? The intent to create racial and religious enmity seems to be inherent to our education policy. It is as though we don't want to see Malaysians united.

Pokok Kelapa: It’s never-ending. Maszlee Malik is talking about religion, which should be completely left out from schools. Schools should focus purely on non-religious matters, except when it a component of other subjects, and only when the need arises.

It’s very clear that Maszlee is not capable of handling this portfolio. 

We must not forget that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the man who put him there, and the same person who messed up the system when he held the portfolio.

That has led to the current dire state of the education system. Sad to say, nothing has changed since Mahathir’s time – except the colour of the shoes.

JW: Ok, we got it. No to teaching all religions except Islam.

Is it any wonder Maszlee cannot be trusted to come up with an education policy for all Malaysians? And who says you cannot teach about other religions and still have cross-cultural activities?

More and more, Mazslee, you are showing you are the one further poisoning the education of the young through devious race and religion policies.

Maszlee a convenient whipping boy for Harapan, Umno narratives

Anonymous b3cdc05: Columnist S Thayaparan is right in saying that the linking of the matriculation quota system to job discrimination in the private sector is not just a narrative perpetuated by BN, but also Pakatan Harapan.

Discrimination in the private and public sectors is constant, and racist and religious bigotry is the bread and butter of our politicians.

People like Maszlee merely reaffirm the similarities between the old and new coalitions. 

The much touted ‘New Malaysia’ by Harapan operatives was a mere red herring.

It is now left to people like Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy – who slammed Maszlee for his remark – and Harapan voters, the conscience of the nation, to set the narratives and vociferously salvage ‘New Malaysia’ from the Harapan traitors.

A good education system is one that is free of discrimination, not tainted with race, religion and political sentiment, but based on the country's educational and economic needs and administered on the basis of meritocracy. 

This will take us to the next level in pursuit of national stability and prosperity.

We don't have to look very far. Singapore is a living example. It is a small island nation that started later than us, but had a leadership that was determined to be successful. 

It is now an international educational hub and an economic miracle and is among the global top nations.

And we who ditched them for nothing more than their stand for equality and meritocracy remain a pale shadow consigned among the lower rung economies in the region.

Quigonbond: There may be certain Harapan policies that are still linked to race and religion, but Thayaparan misses the point of why Maszlee is receiving tonnes of brickbats now. 

It's his argument. Being an academic, one would expect Maszlee to have the brains to make appropriate comparisons.

The matriculation quota – purportedly designed to let Malays have an easy ride into universities – is already wrong to begin with, because it means non-Malays, poor included, have to work much harder to get in. It's a racial policy.

Sure, the current government hopes they can increase the places so that more non-Malays can also get in, but they fail to appreciate the irony of it, which is more unqualified Malays will also get through.

So taxpayer money is not being used efficiently to train the most talented and qualified, all in the name of affirmative action. There is still hope yet that over time, the system will be more balanced, but the damage was already done in the past and until it is fixed, non-Malays cannot hope to become Malay and get an easier pass to university can they? That's what makes it a racial issue.

Whereas, people hiring those who can read or speak Mandarin are making a business decision. If a Malay is proficient with Mandarin, they would be in an advantageous position – perhaps even more so.

So whose fault is it that they are not learning Mandarin? The previous BN education ministers for starters. 

And then those ultra-nationalists, including people like Negeri Sembilan Bersatu chief Rais Yatim who keeps yapping about Bahasa Malaysia. And then there is also the class of ultra-nationalists who want to ban national-type schools.

The bottom line is, whether someone wants to hire somebody else for a position depends on need. Is there anything wrong if a company advertises Japanese or Tamil as a qualifying language? It can be learned. It's not racial.

So when Maszlee compares a racial and non-racial issue, he deserves every brick falling on his head.

Tidak Harapan: Bersatu is the weakest link in Harapan, but the reality is they need Mahathir and some Malay votes to stay in power. So some reforms are better than almost none under BN’s Umno-dominant narrative.

Bersatu is by and large old wine in a new bottle. When Mahathir is gone, Harapan may or may not be better with Anwar Ibrahim at the helm. Mahathir’s main objective was to get rid of the kleptomaniac, who is still freely spewing his race and religion agenda in order to stay out of jail.

We need new Malay leaders, like Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli and a few others with a more national agenda, but alas, they currently remain on the periphery. 

Ministers like Maszlee and Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali have no vision for the nation, and are providing no narratives. They are only there for the power and what it provides.

The nation continues to slide, perhaps more slowly under Harapan than under BN, and unless there is true reform, it will inevitably end in disaster.

Anonymous_1536078333: What a shame, so many bright potential education ministers within Harapan, and Maszlee keeps putting his foot in his mouth.

What has happened to education quality since Harapan took over? We keep gazing at our navels, and the world will pass us by with the revolutions in technology sweeping the world. 

Keep the same education system and there will no jobs in the future.

Everything starts with education – unity, values, jobs and economy. But with Maszlee wanting to make schools a ‘medan dakwah’ there will be no future for the poor kids of this generation, no matter what colour shoes they wear.

The people gave Harapan a massive opportunity to chart a new course in last year’s general election. Will it be squandered?

Yoursay: Penalties for PTPTN defaulters, not pampering

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.