I was asked to head the Education and Knowledge Society Bureau last weekend.
Barely one day, I have to make a press statement in response to Datuk Mukriz ‘s suggestion that vernacular schools be converted to National schools.
The following is the full text of the press statement made by me as Head of the Education Bureau:
Press Statement
1. Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’s National Education Bureau strongly objects to the proposal by Datuk Mukriz Mahathir to abolish all Chinese and Tamil schools, for all to be converted into national schools.
2. We would like to remind Datuk Mukriz that mother tongue education is the right of all Malaysians under Federal Constitution Article 152 (1) (a)and (b). Hence the existence of vernacular schools is guaranteed under the Constitution.
3. Racial polarization has more to do with politicians using race to fan feelings of deprivation and discrimination . The purpose is to gain popularity and attention, especially during internal party elections. than to put the blame on the existence of such schools.
4. Putting the blame on the existence of vernacular schools as the cause of polarization is totally uncalled for and would only cause further polarization .
5. Datuk Mukriz’s statement also runs counter to the Education Act 1996, which recognizes the fundamental principle of a Malaysian parent’s right to choose vernacular education for his or her children.
6. He has also gone against all manifestos of BArisan Nasional in past elections guaranteeing the continued existence and development of Chinese and Tamil schools.
7. We want to put on record that vernacular schools have contributed much in the process of nation building. To question and negate the existence of such schools is damaging to the concept of unity in diversity, as the very strength and foundation of our nation.
8. We urge Datuk Mukriz to retract this statement in the interest of the unity of the people, as well as unity of BN.
The Chinese version:
文告
民政黨中央教育及知識社會局, 強烈反對Datuk Mukriz 的建議 , 要政府采用單一教育制度, 并接管華小及所有類型小學, 改為國小.
我們要提醒 Datuk Mukriz, 華小及所有類型小學的存在, 是憲法下所保障的, 不應一而再的, 受到任何人的質疑.
種族兩極化的原因, 應歸罪于一些喜愛利用種族課題作為政治資本的政客, 尤其在所隸屬政黨黨選期間, 挑起種族課題, 以達到個人目的.
我們要再次的提醒 Datuk Mukriz, 在 聯邦憲法下 152 條 (1) (a)和 (b), 學習母語教育, 是每個馬來西亞公民的基本權力. Datuk Mukriz 的言論, 會使種族兩極化的問題, 加劇惡化.
我們感到遺憾, Datuk Mukriz 的言論, 違反了1996 教育法令, 和 國陣歷屆大選宣言對人民所作出的承諾, 保障華小及所有類型小學的操作和存在.
華小及所有類型小學的存在, 對于國家和社會, 有極大的貢獻. 我們認為 Datuk Mukriz 的言論, 對于一個多元種族社會, 是具于極大的破壞性.
我們希望Datuk Mukriz, 基于國家團結利益上, 把這建議撤回.
Dr. Hsu's forum 
Dec 02, 2008 @ 12:04:20
vernacular primary/secondary schools intake are open to all races with no quota whereas the UITM is confined to Malay only. Which is cause disunity and should be abolished ?
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 12:45:50
Where did Mukhriz get his primary, secondary and tertiary education? Can anyone reveal this? And where are his children being schooled? Are they in national schools and will they continue to be till pre- U level? It would be interesting to know how much of his proposal is politics and sheer hypocrisy. Why does he not touch on the quality of education dished out in national schools?
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 12:46:47
Vernacular schools have issues too.
Converting these schools to national type schools solve some operational problems. But it creates political problems.
The best solution is somewhere between. Can we have discussions to solve this problem, rather than rethorics.
I think both sides should stand down. Gerakan is quick off the mark taking a popular stand. It is good for its image. But will political posture solve the problem of vernacular schools. Now that politicans have made their posture to their constituents, can they go to do the real work.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 12:50:17
Abolish NEP first than we’ll consider taking off SRJK print from the signboard. Which causes more disunity than uneven provision of country’s wealth through NEP?
Vernacular schools survive all this while by ‘begging’ among parents through contribution and thrifty budget. What alse do you want from a low maintenance schools that perform at the end of the day by churning out productive citizens and not those rempits? Abolish NEP first if you want ‘more’ unity and not those vernacular schools.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 12:50:37
This by-product son of Mamak kutty is trying to win votes from those Umnoputras on the coming umno youth chief post.
Again, this bum works like his father using the race card again to garner votes. Like father like son.
Trying to be the champion of malay race. My foot. However, he conveniently forget he himself is NOT a Malay but a product of a mamak from India.
In Bolehland, the most trouble makers especially on race are the mamak who try to behave more than malays themselves by stirring racial issues whenever it suits them.
What a despicable and undignified bunch.
As a matter of fact, this bum should be charge for sedition and kick out of Parliament.
Of course, how to expect the HM pea-brain, arrogant, baldie toad take action. He himself is not a Malay either.
As usual, the same scenarios will happen whenever we have despicable, undignified and apportunistic politicians running the country.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 13:00:23
Dear Dr. Hsu. Congratulation on you being head the Education and Knowledge Bureau. I assume you have agreed to take on the task.
Now that you can drive the discussion on Education and Knowledge inside Gerakan, I think we should go back and do some serious discussion on the Innovative Society. This has great bearing on the direction the country need to take.
I deed some reading and found that many countries have serious debates on this subject as the it affect the future prosperity, economic strenght and power of these countries – USA, China, UK etc.
This subject should drive the agenda Education D and Knowledge Society Bureau of Gerakan. I suspect this was the reason why you posted this topic in your blog.
Once again, congratulation.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 13:10:12
Dr. Hsu,
I am a Malay and have been following your blog for quite sometime. I find your writings very interesting. It gives me the Chinese, or non-Malay point of view ( I am going to be frank here ), so I always look forward to your new posts, regardless of whether I agree or not with what you have written.
I am compelled to jot down some comments on these “one-nation one school system” thing. Personally, I feel good about it. I strongly feel that to actually achieve a BANGSA MALAYSIA, it should start from the education system. Think about it. We spent most of our time from the age of 7 until 17 with our school mates ( at least I do ). So, could it be conceivable that one of the reason every one will flock with their own race only is because of how they grew up during their primary and secondary school years? Sure, there are other factors. Sure, you can blame UMNO for that. Still, I strongly believe that even with UMNO’s brainwashing on teens, if they grew up with people from other races, it would be easy for them to sat “Nah, I have lots of Malay / Chinese / Indian friends, and they are not like that, cuz I grew up with them ” ?
The most important thing now is to build a new malaysia where everyone could call themselves Malaysian, regardless of race. I believe that is what Gerakan is all about. So I am baffled why you should be rejecting one of the stepping stones that might help you achieve your goal ?
If we have a new generation that grew up in a mixed environment from chilhood to their teen years, would not that be a big asset in order to build a true Malaysian Malaysia?
Reading at your statement, I could not agree with statement #7. How do you explain that educating the Malays or Chinese or Indians seperately would help in nation building? To me, the contarary is true. All these races must be grouped together so that they can mingle and learn about the other races from experience, not just from what you politicians say about them.
What we have now is a system where a Malay/ Chinese /Indian will only mingle with people from their race when they enter university. You have a student who never have friends which is not from their race for 17 years, so how can you expect them to make friends from other races when they become university students?
You can say that it is your right to have these vernacular school. Yeah, I agree. But, do you really want to pertain your rights, just for the sake of your rights, or are you willing to waive these rights that have been embedded in the constitution so that a young generation that is raceblind can be born?
To me, if you want to refer to your rights that is stated in the constitution, you are singing the same tune as UMNO. They have been saying that ” This is our rights, that is our right, so the other races have no say on these issue!!” Why are you downgrading yourself to that extent?
My 2 cents.
penang_malay
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 13:26:48
I have no problem being friendly with whomever I feel is friendly even if they are the mat saleh not from my school.
Now, to take away the mother tongue schools is not very ‘friendly’. Also, democracy is about having choices.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 14:30:23
These people are fast to find ‘scapegoats’ for racial polarization which are due to their own bias, unfair policies and ‘supreme’ mentality. Just visit any of these so-called national schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan) and you can see even polarization are happening there. So, how to solve this problem of polarization by converting vernacular schools into Sekolah Kebangsaan?
The root causes for this problem are actually inequitable policies and practices that exist since 513. Just go back to the time of pre-513 and pre-merdeka period, where meritocracy still being practised, polirization, if exists, were not so severe. These people are just fast to put blames on vernacular schools.
In the long run, I believe there should be only one school system in Malaysia rather than we have UiTM, Mara colleges, matriculation, STPM, Chinese school, Tamil school and so on. But, we have a long way to go for this aim of one school system.
To me, one school system should have the following qualities and features :-
a) meritocracy being practised at all levels
b) religious elements should not be exist at all
c) teaching of mother tongues are a ‘must’ to cater for various races needs and for reason of creating multilingual society so to have competitive edge globally.
e) all students should be treated as ‘equals’ (it is a open secret that different marking scheme is being practised now)
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 14:38:19
penang_malay, i really do not think that by having students studying in different primary schools contribute to racial polarisation.
Look at the Universiti Malaya in the sixties and early seventies. Students from different races, not to mention different streams, mix well . In the canteens, everyone would be eating together. Nowadays, different race groups sit with people of their own kind. At that time, we not only have vernacular schools , we had english schools as well. BUt even then students from Chinese schools and Malay Schools mixed toigether, not like the situation today.
To me, racial polarisation has more to do with politicians uttering divisive rhetorics , as well as not taking into account our Federal Constitution. Although I am against NEP, I am not against the special positions of our Malay brothers- the 2 are not the same. We can have special positions, but at the same time, we can encourage competition so that our Malay Brothers can become as good as any others, in or outside the country..
I thnak you for your input, i hope we can agree to disagree on this point.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 14:40:04
Dr. Hsu,
Just wonder whether your press statement being screened or approved by Gerakan CWC?
Most importantly, Tan Sri, whom himself was from the Chinese educationist group, concur with this press statement?
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 14:49:39
klm, i agree to take up this position as i think we need to get input on how to gain back the excellence in our country. The first thing is of course we must have excellence in education.
I wouldlike toget input from experts and perhaps draft a paper on how to overhaul the whole education system, bringing back meritocracy and so on. . This may be beyond me, since education is not my field, but I will try to do to the best of my ability.
any such paper would be good no matter which party forms the government, since this would give input to how to bring back excellence.
This would be in line of my position as a socio-political worker
……………..
Klm, i was not aware that i was to head the education and knowledge society when i wrote the post innovative society. What gives me inspiration to write was my visit to NZ, which reminds me of why developed countries have such high standard of living, despite the fact that we are working much harder than the average person in those countries.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 14:57:40
I did cc a copy to the leaders before sending it out. This is our party’s stand on education all along, and it is what is guaranteed under the Federal COnstituion, which all of us must uphold.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 15:02:26
Dear Dr Hsu. I dont think education experts are the best people to set the direction for the future education system. They are people who contributed to mess in the first place – together with the politican.
It is people like you and others who think about the future of our children who should set the direction. I think you have to set your scope wider.
I like to go back to he point of innovative society.
What do we want? How do we create this environment. Then we think of how to set the education system to achieve this.
I think we need a more holistic thinking.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 15:04:12
The overall good system in this country is systematically being destroyed by umno over the last 30 years. What Dr. Hsu’s response to penang_malay is very true. I was in the primary school in the sixties and secondary school in the seventies and we have no problem at all among the variuos races.
If Mukriz can claim that vernacular school is the cause for unity, then he must also look into other factors which are more serious in causing the disunity among the races. Will he take action to remove them?
My blog posting
I agree with you, Mukriz, close down vernacular schools.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 15:06:08
Sorry, error in this sentence.
If Mukriz can claim that vernacular school is the cause for
unitydisunity,LikeLike
Dec 02, 2008 @ 15:27:10
klm, I think you are very wise. Yes, I will try to get more opinion from people like your good self, who has given me many ideas on many things. That is why it is no more called education bureau, rather eucation and k-society, because if we want innovation, we must have knowledge first. I need the valuable inputs from all of you.
…………………………….
On any point, penang_malay, I forgot to mention that many people out there are products of vernacular schools, including teachers, engineers, doctors, judges, businessmen, workers, clerks, government servants,. So it is not wrong to say that vernacular schools have helped in nation building. In fact, everyone who has done his or her job well, go the extra miles to get his or her jobs done, has contributed to ation building… that is my humble opinion. It is not necessary to be the PM or his ministers to contribute to nation building, in fact, those who are corrupted, they not only do not contribute to nation building, they are nation-destroying.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 15:58:17
Penang Malay,
First of all, i must say i like the way you comment on this issue. Very polite even though you disagree with the point raised. However, i wish relate my personal experience to demonstrate that there are far more larger factors that cause racial polarization in this country.
I attended SRJK(C) but live in an estate where the majority are Indian and Malay up to 20 years old. I have not problem communicate, live, play and sleep together with them. In a way, i am quite open minded in matter related to race and language as i spent 20 years of my childhood and teenage period together with Indian and Malay. However, my problem starts when i found out so much of discrimination or one sided rules and practice during working life. That is the cause of discontentment. It is not the different place of education but rather the way one is being treated that cause racial polarization.
When one treats the other with love and respect, the same will be reciprocated irrespective of what language you speak. Resentment arises when one is being treated without due respect or discriminated. This is the universal law i suppose.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 16:09:44
Richard Loh,
I read your blog on this subject and found the gist of it is the same as mine, but you are too fast to pin-point vernacular schools are one of the cause for polarization, which I beg to differ.
On the other hand, you are in total disregard of the rights of the existence of vernacular schools as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
The way I see it, Mukriz is of the view that vernacular schools is the ONLY cause for this racial polarization. He is not so silly to name NEP, Ketuanan Melayu and so on as the real causes. He only want support from the Umno Malays.
I hope I am wrong as to my analysis on Mukriz.
Dr. Hsu, I agree that you are the best person to head the bureau because you are impartial….further, your children successes are clear track records of you ability in handling education matters. They are the products of vernacular schools, aren’t they?
You should be the Education Minister instead….Head of bureau is just ‘kacang’ as far as I am concerned.
Better still, you, a future PM.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 16:38:08
a True Malaysian, aiyo, please do not over rate me lah.
Even heading this bureau, I am already like a small ant trying to move a big papaya, an impossible task, and I need other small ants to come together to move it together..Or until, one of the small antsbelonging to another species suddenly turns big and can move that alone.
Small ants wil forever be small ants, even if they grow old.. And that is my role, a small ant, a small candle, just hope to light up bigger candle and considered my job done.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 16:50:06
True, I, being another small ant, will give you my full support whenever and wherever I can.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 18:25:16
A true Malaysian,
Thanks for your comment. We know that Mukriz is creating a storm among umno members for his political vantage and not sincere to forge any kind of unity. My writing is not as you say a total disregard of the rights of the existence of vernacular schools as enshrined in the Federal Constitution but in a way testing and challenging his sincerity about his talk on unity.
Dr. Hsu,
You are not so small an ant compare to most of us. In order to do what you suggested, bn component parties must work together as a force to wake umno to it senses. As long as umno is controlling and having the upper hand there is no way for any changes to the education system. They are just happy the way it is.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 19:11:55
Richard Loh,
It is funny to see someone acuses the other a racist just because we defend our contitutional rights while himself not a racist for defending ‘ketuanan’ that not exist at all in the constitution.
We are facing global recession and yet these talking of racial issues keep coming out non-stop.
Rakyat is more concern with bread and butter issues than this unproductive rethoric.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 19:37:13
Dr Hsu
I think it all boils down to the quality of those schools. I think it does not matter if its a vernacular school or national school, if its a sh** school(pardon my french) even if its vernacular, you will find that sooner or later the school will die a natural death. Mukhriz should concentrate on the quality of those school instead of again using the education as a springboard for his ambitions. This is so disgusting, look at the state of our government schools right now.. i should know, i have a sister who just finished form 5. By the way I am chinese who goes to a christian brothers school. In those days these are really good schools, with people fighting to get themselves enroll in them plus every year you would hear so and so getting themselves admitted into the oxbrige unis in the UK. In my opinion its the excellence of the schools which we should concentrate on. Just my 2 cents
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 20:19:47
Dr. Hsu,
If you put it that way, yes I do agree that the community in the 70’s are different, where people from different races mingle without almost any barrier. Even my parents who studied in UKM ( where it shared the UM campus during it’s earlier years ) back in the 70’s told me the same story. But, we must acknowledge that time has change, and due to some factors – including branwashing from some politicians – it is time for us to make some huge changes that could help in producing a bangsa Malaysia. And I believe that bringing the young generation closer – through a National School System – is one of the answers. It is better to breed them in a truly Malysian environment since their childhood, then to try and change their mindset after 17 years.
I was brought up in a vernacular school system, hence almost all my friends now are Malays. ( I am in the late 20’s, by the way). However, regardless of that, I am keen on seeing a new education system being implemented here in our beloved country. Okay, so maybe establishing a National School System might be difficult for the time being, still I sure wish the system will be in existence by the time I have kids. It might be an English oriented school, for all I care, as long as my children have the chance to make friends from people of other races, I am happy. This is, to me, one of the main thing that Malaysians must do in order to be as good as other developed countries.
So, Dr. Hsu, we might not share the same thought on this, but I wish you all the luck in proposing a new and better education system for Malaysia.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 20:28:29
Dear Dr Hsu.
You can be lead ant. Many ants working together can move the papaya. I think it is safe ot say that most of the readers of your blog will give you the support. You have my support for this worthwhile effort.
Let me relate some stories of my family so that you can understand why parents made decision on what type of schools children were sent.
I am a product of a Christian brother school. My mother made the decision for practical economic reason.They offer the best education and passing the government exams meant better prospects. She made the choice without consulting me – not that i know anything at that tender age.
When the time came for my children to go to school, my wife made the decision to sent them to the sekolah kebangsaan. Fortunately, the neighbourhood SRK and SMK were good school that parents scambled to get their children registered. My wife was from chinese school. She struggled to learn english while in school. Because of that, she made the call to have the children attend the sekolah kebangsaan so that they do not go through the difficulty of learning English.
Now my eldest son has settled down in US. He has
a 2 year old daughter. Because he is in the English speaking world. he is starting the child with mandarin as the primary language. The little girl speaks mandarin and english. The parents coming decision is whether she go to a public school or private school. It will be English school and probably with Chinese as foreign language. But she will grow up speaking mandarin. She probably will not speak cantonese – mother tongue of the grandfather.
This is a story of 3 generation. Decisions made were because of circumstances, economic reason and best education possible (under the circumstance)
Later generation of parents sent their kids to chinese schools, simply because the sekolah kebangsaan have such low standards. Chinese schools have improve the english teaching while the sekolah kebangsaan have deteriorated in english teaching. The rush to good chinese schools
is understandable. Today, I will sent my children to chinese school. Simply, because they offer better education.
As for indian vernacular schools, these are stuck in time warp. They are frozen in a fast changing world. Something need to be done here.
Finally, like JC said, it all boil down to the quality of the schools.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 21:04:15
penang_malay,
You commented ‘I was brought up in a vernacular school system, hence almost all my friends now are Malays.’
May I know the reason for this?
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 22:10:24
I share herewith a comment in The Malaysian Insider :-
National school system is the lousiest in the world !
written by Orang tua, December 01, 2008
Let me share with all of you. For Additional Mathematics of SPM standard, 11 marks is the passing mark. The same goes to many other subjects. This is the standard of national schools. The whole system is rotten. The Malays say busuk macam tahi.
Have you seen the questions in the Modern Mathematics and Science paper of SPM ? It is probably 1/3 the standard of ‘O’ Level.
Have you ever interviewed any Sekolah Kebangsaan students from a sub-urban or rural area ? You shall know the standard. Whose doing ? UMNO. UMNO spoilt the Malay race. UMNO destroyed the confidence of Malays. UMNO wanted to pass as many Malays as possible in the exams and hence they lowered the marks. UMNO do not help to create competitive Malay race. UMNO do not want Malays to be competitive because they can hold on to power.
The smarter the Malays, the more UMNO will not have any future because they could no longer hold on to power.
So, does national school has standard ? Will UMNO really want the National School to flourish and fly ? NO !
If you visit the APIIT’s private school in Subang or Sri Cempaka in Damansara, you will find many Malay children study in these prestigous schools ? Why ? Because the smart and rich Malays have no confidence in the national school system. The middle class and poor Malays have no choice.
Worst still, many national schools in the urban areas have 1/3 of the students who are Indonesians.
These are the details that make Malaysians wept. And this is the standard which comes from a ‘future’ leader such as Mukhriz from UMNO.
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Dec 02, 2008 @ 23:11:11
Every time when UMNO’s Party elections are being held the ’empty vessels’ will come out to make the most noise. The other races become the whipping boys. Nothing new to see those UMNO wannabes who are devoid of constructive ideas coming out with such irresponsible remarks.
Malaysia has no hope of peace and the people will never be united with such opportunists stirring up the racial sentiments.
These self serving individuals have the cheeks to say they love the country! They know very well that the only result their actions and remarks will bring to the nation is divisiveness and polarization. But they have silenced their consciences just to achieve their aims.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 08:01:20
A true Malaysian,
Most of my Malay friends now are friends from my school days, that’ why. But then, since I am working in the private sector, I am making new friends from other races.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 08:41:06
JC hit it on the head. The mantra should be “Quality, not Quantity”. I was privilege to study at Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC) in Alor Star, the finest school opened to all and sundry, provided you do well in exams at Std 6 and Form 3. Along the way, I have many schoolmates who came from Chinese schools. Most were brilliant students and gave us all a tough fight in class. I think it is the “excellence and meritocracy” in Chinese schools that drive these students to excel. Mukriz is out of line, a product of a “rich and spoilt” up-bringing. I don’t think he ever need to worry about money in his entire live except which foreign country should he go this year for holidays with his family and which 5-star or 6-star hotel they should stay. Now he is trying to deprive parents of sending their children for quality eductation. A totally useless politician!
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 09:20:54
penang_malay,
In the long run, I also think we should have a single school system.
Let say, if everyone of us study in a single school environment, but policies that are discriminatory still continue, do you think racial polarisation will be solved?
My point is that it is unfair to blame on vernacular schools for the problem of racial polarisation. The government should treat all as equals, at the same time, help out the poor and unfortunate. Do you agree on this?
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 10:20:42
A true malaysian,
Firstly, I should have typed ” I was brough up in a single-race ( Malay school ) system “. Got mixed up while typing in haste, sooo sorry about that.
And yes, I do agree with you on your latest comments. Avery legal citizen should be treated equally. My opinion on having a one system school is because with the implementation, we will have a new breed of Malaysian that will easily get the idea of equality amongst all races , due to how they grew up.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 10:47:33
penang_malay, I am proud to have you as a fellow citizens. The thoughts and dreams of yours is a sign that Malay / single race school can produce open minded people like you is enough to continue with the system.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 11:27:15
penang_malay,
It is really nice to have a Malay like you think that way. I hope there will be more Malay brothers like you and more non-Malay brothers are like me, Dr. Hsu and many commentators here that don’t racially.
It is our duty, as right thinking rakyat, to spread our thoughts to the rest of our brothers and sisters. Only then, when we use the word ‘WE’, it means all of us, no more Malay non-Malay, bumiputra non-bumiputra but Bangsa Malaysia.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 20:01:20
My eldest child attended SMK Convent and not one of those named as SMJK Catholic High School, Chung Hwa etc. She was one of those Chinese (less than 5 of them in her batch) who was schooled in SRJK Chinese School and therefore most of her classmates (including Chinese and Indians) were schooled in SRK Convent since Standard 1. She had no problem mixing with her classmates when she was schooled in SMK Convent where most of the teachers were non-Chinese. If what Muhkriz Kutty’s arguments are correct, my child and her Chinese classmates should be able to mix and socialize well after their secondary education. But the fact is all her current close friends were her Chinese classmates at Convent (of course including her current Chinese university mates) even though they had separated and attended different universities but occasionally they will meet up. They speak only English in the social meetings but they are all Chinese. Can someone explain to me the reason for this phenomenon. I can only conclude that the discriminatory policies were the only reasons that segregate Malaysians.
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Dec 03, 2008 @ 23:08:59
Abolish, ketuanan, NEP, one race GLC/govt employees, matriculation/form 6, bumi/non bumi on housing, scholarship etc, U entrance quota, MARA colleges (1 race), then talk on Malaysia unity,
Otherwise even if only 1 type of school, but 2 types of Pre U, NEP, ketuanan etc, racial polarization will be the same, Mukhridiot !
Malaysia (under UMNO) will be a gone case according to many ppl.
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Dec 11, 2008 @ 02:04:19
All forms of discrimination should be banished to history. The affirmative action based on race as documented in the NEP was, is and will be a burden on our nation because it was hijacked by the political elites to the detriment of our country’s progress and unity.
Until that is done, abolishing the vernacular schools is irrelevant. I do not support the existence of such schools. They exist on account of political expediency. MCA will not survive without their existence. Due to this bargain, the unfair policy which deprive many poor Chinese, Indians and other non-bumiputra compromised our competitiveness compared to peers like Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Take note that these three countries tops the world in science and mathematics for ten and fourteen year-olds.
I would rather send my children to schools like Apiit if I can afford it. It seems that Ketuanan Duit reign supreme over all other ersatz Ketuanans.
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