Fight is far from over, says council

‘We must be ready to preserve vernacular schools if case is brought to high Court’

THE fight to preserve vernacular schools will become increasingly challenging once the matter of their legality is brought to the High Court, according to the Chinese Language Council.

Sin Chew Daily reported the council’s vice-president Phun Teck Seng as reiterating his earlier message and urging the public not to let their guard down.

“The (Federal Court’s) decision yesterday was made based on a procedural error. The real challenge begins now.

“Once the matter is brought to the High Court, the fight begins again. We must make sure we are well prepared for it,” he said.

Phun was referring to Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed’s decision on Monday to dismiss Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz’s application for leave to question if the existence of vernacular schools was unconstitutional.

The decision was made on the grounds that it was within Parliament’s power to form such schools.

Following the decision, Khairul’s lawyer Datuk Shaharudin Ali said their next step was to file a new motion on the issue in the High Court.

Phun pointed out that the matter was the result of an increasingly racialised society, with many organisations now pushing for a single-stream education system.

“I don’t think this is a coincidence. It’s not the only case either. As such, we can’t let our guard down just because the Federal Court has thrown out the case. The real challenge is about to begin,” he said.

Phun said the council was consulting with constitutional experts and also gathering historical documents on vernacular schools and their syllabi to prepare for the case if it went to the High Court.

The daily also reported Dong Zong chairman Tan Tai Kim as saying that the court had yet to make a verdict on the legality of vernacular schools.

He said this meant Khairul had yet to challenge the legality of vernacular schools.

Dong Zong and its legal team, he added, would be prepared to face the challenge should the issue be brought to the High Court.

“Dong Zong is determined to protect the status of vernacular schools, which fit in Malaysia’s diverse society,” he said.