DAP policy director Chan Foong Hin heaped laurels on Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, saying the latter had announced meaningful commitments to the Chinese community.

This comes after Hajiji announced, among others, that the state government is now recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

Taking to Facebook, Chan described Hajiji’s pledges as the Sabah government’s recognition and high regard for the community’s contributions.

“Sabah DAP strongly supports this agenda of equality for all. I am proud of Sabah and of the progress we are achieving together.

“The three announcements made by the chief minister are timely and significant.

“They embody the state government’s vision for the next term and the shared consensus forged through the Sabah Pakatan Harapan/DAP and GRS (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah),” said the deputy plantation and commodities minister.

According to a one-minute and 43-second video sent by Chan (above) to Malaysiakini, Hajiji also said the state government was considering providing scholarships to UEC certificate holders.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor

“And I would like to say here… the state government recognises UEC,” Hajiji said.

“Not only do we recognise it, but also take action. Just now, I spoke to the (state) finance minister (Masidi Manjun)… we will also consider applications from those holding this certificate to get state government scholarships.

“Apart from that, I will also consider… our children who possess this certificate to enter state-government-owned universities like the University College Sabah Foundation and Kolej Teknologi Yayasan Sabah.

“We are ready to accept the applications from students who have this certificate,” said the chief minister.

According to Chan on Facebook, Hajiji made the pledge during a fellowship dinner with the Chinese community and several educational and religious organisations on Monday.

Chan shaking hands with Hajiji at a fellowship dinner with the Chinese community, as well as educational and religious organisations

During the event, the GRS chairperson also handed over state allocations to vernacular schools and non-Islamic religious bodies.

The UEC is a standardised test administered by the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools Working Committee (MICSS) since 1975, which in turn is represented by members of the United Chinese School Committees' Association (Dong Zong) and United Chinese School Teachers' Association (Jiao Zong). The two associations are also jointly known as Dong Jiao Zong.

READ MORE: Unified Examination Certificate: Are the criticisms justified?

Earlier, only Sarawak had recognised the UEC since 2014.

Aspirations of the Chinese community

On that note, Chan said his team had regularly met up with Hajiji over the last two years on the needs and aspirations of Sabah’s Chinese community.

“His latest decisions show that these proposals are being taken seriously, not only as a symbol of peaceful coexistence and equality in Sabah, but also as an important signal for national politics,” the Kota Kinabalu MP added.

Chan also mentioned the Sabah government had increased its annual funding for vernacular schools and non-Islamic organisations.

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