Sarawak PKR leader wants probe over race change to Malay

PUR, Dec 2 — Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said today the issue of reclassification of the state’s native school children as Malay was not limited to one school’s report card.

The lawyer pointed out that under the public examinations system, students including the Sarawak natives are classified as Malay or Bumiputera, Chinese or Indians.

“If it is not important, why must race be included in the examination slip,” Bian told The Malaysian Insider.

He had earlier highlighted the plight of six Orang Ulu and Iban parents from a school in Miri Sarawak, whose children were classified as Malays in their report cards.

The reclassification raised the fears of the parents over their children’s religious future under the Federal Constitution.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong had blamed the National Registration Department (NRD) over the error.

Wee also reportedly said that the report card is not is not an official document and could be amended.

Today Bian expressed disappointment with Wee’s remarks as no investigation had been conducted.

“The problem is there has been no investigation,” said Bian.

“If the minister says it is the work of the National Registration Department, then I want to hear a response from the NRD now. This issue must not be taken lightly and swept under the carpet,” he said.

Meanwhile the president of the Sarawak Teachers Union William Ghani Bina said the education ministry had agreed to look into the issue and classify Sarawak natives according to their birth certificates.

“They are being looked into and it was agreed that the children will be classified according to their birth certificate,” Ghani told The Malaysian Insider after a meeting with director-general of education Datuk Abd Ghafar Mahmud.

“It was not a widespread incident. Maybe the mistakes were made because the teachers did not check with the students,” he said.

Ghani also said there was no need for the authorities to take action against those responsible for the mistake.

“Please don’t blame the teachers or the schools. No need to take action, I hope it won’t be politicised,” he said.

A school in Miri, Sarawak was found to have reclassified six of its students from the Orang Ulu and Iban communities

Parents of the six Christian children have reported the matter to the Sarawak Teachers Union over concern that their official status might affect their religious belief.

Article 160 of the Federal Constitution defines Malay as “a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language and conforms to Malay custom”.

According to a copy of one of the student’s report card sent by Bian, an 11 year old boy of Kelabit and Lun Bawang parentage was classified as Malay by the school.

The incident came just weeks after a 10-year-old Christian boy was caned by a teacher in state capital Kuching for bringing a pork lunch to school.

The Iban boy was caned 10 times for bringing fried rice with pork sausages to his school in Kuching.

The caning was believed to have happened following confusion over the boy’s religious status as his father Beginda Minda had converted to Islam before abandoning the faith.

According to a decree issued by the National Fatwa Council, if either parent is Muslim, the child must also be a Muslim.

The case was highlighted in newspapers on November 5 after the boy’s mother, Angela Jabing, complained to the Sarawak Education Department about the caning incident.

The largely Muslim Sarawak’s Malay/Melanau community make up only about 20 per cent of the state’s population but it remains in control of the state administration.

The various indigenous tribes who are mainly Christians form about half of the population.

According to Article 161 of the Federal Constitution, natives indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (Including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanos, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits.

The Chinese make up about 26 per cent of the population in the Malaysia’s largest state.

Unlike other states in Malaysia, Sarawak does not recognise Islam as the official religion.