Call to abolish vernacular schools into single-stream regressive mindset — LDP

KOTA KINABALU: Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s call to abolish vernacular or national-type schools into a single-stream to strengthen racial integration and unity is a regressive mindset, said Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) deputy president Datuk Yong Wui Chung.

“Inciting racial tension for cheap publicity is an irrational and foolish behaviour.

“Umno Youth should keep up with the times and stop wasting resources on damaging national harmony.”

Yong pointed out that Akmal’s claim that axing vernacular schools will strengthen racial unity is out of touch with Malaysia’s harmonious society, nor is it aligned with the Madani concept championed by the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

From the legal perspective, he said the Federal Court had recently ruled that vernacular schools are constitutional.

Secondly, he said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had clearly stated that Chinese vernacular schools were popular among bumiputera parents.

“This is an indication that the government supports vernacular education as it reflects the diversity in our Malaysian society.”

From the educational perspective, Yong said some scholars opine that achieving the goal of national unity does not necessarily require students to learn in a single-stream school.

“Many countries in the world adopt different education systems, yet their citizens remain united.”

He said Akmal’s statement is similar to the proposed Sekolah Wawasan (Vision Schools) suggested by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“It is disappointing that Akmal’s mindset has kept the same mindset as the leader in the older generation, despite being a young leader himself.

“This shows that such political mindset is passed down to the younger generation that prevents them from adopting an open and progressive mind.”

Yong reminded Akmal to respect the diverse cultures and racial harmony in Malaysia.

He said any extreme remarks may potentially cause unrest in the society.

Hence, he said leaders should be more careful about their opinions to avoid doing harm on racial harmony.