Don't be ungrateful, vernacular schools told

Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged vernacular schools not to be ungrateful as their existence was due to the support given to them by the ruling parties.

"One decision made which reflects our excellent and liberal attitude is to allow parents to choose the school and medium for their children.

"It was a decision made by the founders of our nation (and effective) since the achievement of Independence.

"The Alliance (now BN) leaders at the time made the decision. Leaders of the other parties opposed it."

It was because of this decision that national-type Chinese and Tamil schools existed to this day, Najib said at a meet-the-people session at Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Keat Hwa 1 near Alor Setar which was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

"Let us not be history illiterate and let us not be ungrateful. This is the history that we have inherited.

"If the Alliance leaders of the past had not made this decision, there would be no Chinese schools in the country today," he added.

Najib said that people claiming to be champions of democracy should not be blind to history and what continued to be practised to this day.

"We want to improve our democratic system but not by denying that democracy has long been practised in the country," he added.

Move from tolerance to acceptance

He also urged the people to "move from tolerance to acceptance" to bring closer together Malaysia's multi-racial society.

"In the practice of tolerance, there are still dividing walls and feelings of our difference from one another," said Najib.

In comparison, acceptance celebrates diversity and uses the strength of all, regardless of race.

"This is a strength for our nation. As in a football match, people from our various communities help one another for the success of our team," Najib added.

"If one of us score an own goal, we will lose. This (solidarity) value is important to us all, no matter the colour of our skin or how we look," said the prime minister, who arrived in Kedah this morning for a one-day working visit.

Najib said the 1Malaysia concept was introduced to bolster unity and integration of a nation of various races, religions and cultures.

RM1.1 million assistance

He also announced that the federal government has allocated RM1.1 million to seven Chinese national-type secondary schools and independent schools in Kedah.

Among the recipients is the organising committee of the 100th anniversary celebration of the school, which has been allocated RM100,000.

Sekolah Menengah (Persendirian) Sin Min Sungai Petani and Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Keat Hwa received RM200,000 each while SMJK Keat Hwa 2, SMJK Chio Min, SM (Persendirian) Keat Hwa, SM (Persendirian) Sin Min Alor Setar and SMJK Sin Min Sungai Petani received RM100,000 each.

Najib handed over the funds to representatives of the schools at the event.

SM (Persendirian) Sin Min board member, Ching Chuen Leong, said the allocation showed that the prime minister cared for the well-being of such schools.

"National-type and independent schools have been relying on contributions from corporate companies and parent-teacher's associations to finance its operations all this while.

"This assistance will help ease the burden borne by these schools and go a long way in helping to enhance the performance of students," he said.

SM (Persendirian) Sin Min principal Loo Tong Hua said the school management was touched by the gesture and said that they were grateful to the prime minister for the assistance.

- Bernama