Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today maintained that racial integration will not be affected by the fact that many Malay pupils are studying in national-type Chinese primary schools.

Mahathir said, on the contrary, these pupils could develop closer relationships with their Chinese peers.

"They will understand more about the Chinese culture and way of life," Mahathir said.

The premier was giving a press conference in Kuala Lumpur after officially opening the Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali Gallery in the PNB building today.

There are 60,000 Malay students currently studying in national-type Chinese primary schools.

Since the National Union of the Teaching Profession alleged last week that certain Malaysian schools practise segregation by putting students into classes according to race, some quarters have questioned the existence of vernacular schools which they claim employ similar practices.

However, advocates of vernacular schools said that the students, comprised of all races, are not segregated in these schools.

"There are many Malay pupils studying in these schools and they are put in the same classroom as the other pupils," The Sun quoted National Unity and Social Development Ministry parliamentary secretary S Veerasingham as saying.

MCA problem

Meanwhile, Mahathir remained confident that MCA's internal problems will not affect Barisan Nasional's preparations for the coming by-election for the Indera Kayangan state seat in Perlis.

"This is a domestic problem. We can overcome this problem," he said without elaborating.

Asked if the current problems besetting the MCA will result in a splinter group forming a new party, the premier said the ongoing internal squabbles in MCA were not that serious.

"They're all loyal to BN. I've spoken to them. They only have some personal problems," Mahathir said.

Yesterday, the premier said that he had spoken to both warring personalities MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik and Youth chief Ong Tee Keat, and asked them "not to be too hard on each other".

Last Thursday, the MCA central committee suspended the powers of its youth wing indefinitely and denied them the right to call for an extraordinary general meeting.