Malaysian Chinese Association’s deputy president says vernacular schools not polarising the country

SINGAPORE: Amid a heated discussion in Malaysia over the issue of vernacular schools, the deputy president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) said that a recent survey by a research centre found that such institutions contribute to the country’s multi-stream education system.

MCA’s Dr Mah Hang Soon said that Malaysia’s law as well as public sentiment recognise the legitimacy and contributions of the vernacular schools, which use Chinese and Tamil as teaching languages and cater to specific cultural backgrounds.

He has also called on those who oppose these vernacular schools to focus on more pressing matters.

“A recent survey carried out by the UCSI Poll Research Centre showed that 70 per cent of participants agreed that vernacular schools do not hinder national unity.

“To another question, 71 per cent of participants disagreed that vernacular schools were polarising Malaysians. These responses demonstrate the rationality and maturity of the majority of the population,” Dr Mah was reported as saying by The Vibes on Wednesday (Apr 10).

He added: “Unfortunately in recent years, due to politicians and a handful of individuals and groups with ulterior motives, there have been continuous attempts to undermine and question the existence of vernacular schools … This (is) merely to score cheap political mileage.”

The issue most recently came to the fore when United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) youth chief Akmal Saleh called for a review of the vernacular schools in the country last month. UMNO and MCA are parties under the Barisan Nasional banner.

According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Dr Akmal had said that it was the UMNO Youth’s view that racial tensions in Malaysia stemmed from segregation at schools.

“It is time for Malaysia to put an end to this segregation and divide.

“There is no shortcut to achieve unity. It is a long, winding and challenging road, but it begins with a single step,” he reportedly said then, adding that there should be a comprehensive assessment of the syllabus taught at vernacular schools.

On Wednesday, Dr Mah – the MCA deputy president – said that vernacular schools have “never” been obstacles to national unity and urged political figures to refrain from exploiting the issue.

“The fact that up to 20 per cent of non-Chinese students are enrolled in Chinese primary schools in our country is sufficient evidence recognising the learning quality of Chinese schools by non-Chinese parents.

“We hope that citizens of all ethnicities will focus more on the development and construction of various education streams in the future, nurturing a new generation for our country with diverse perspectives,” Dr Mah reportedly said.