Ridhuan Tee blames the “ultra kiasu” for Seri Pristana furore

Controversial columnist Professor Ridhuan Tee Abdullah has blamed the "ultra kiasu" for highlighting the SK Seri Pristana recess in a shower-changing room issue, saying there have been no complaints about eating in hotel changing rooms.

Saying that the issue has been blown out of proportions, the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) lecturer said all quarters from the Education Ministry to parents and the "ultra kiasu", his euphemism for the opposition, had reacted without any investigation.

He also took the school's Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) to task for not defending headmaster Mohamad Nasir Mohd Noor, whom he said had the children's interests at heart.

In his opinion piece published yesterday in his blog, Tee said when he first heard that the students in SK Seri Pristana were made to have their meals in the toilet, his immediate reaction was "what a terrible school".

But when investigations revealed that it was a changing room and not the toilet, he realised that it was the reaction of the ultra kiasu.

Adding that he often stayed in hotels, Ridhuan pointed out that it was common to find changing rooms with sinks for people to eat and drink there.

"In some cases, these changing rooms were not separated from the toilets. Is this wrong? Is there no smell. How come there is no protest against this?" he questioned.

He went on.

"Why didn't the Tourism Ministry order the hotels to separate the changing room from the toilets? Just because it follows Western style, it was agreeable, but when the school did it for a temporary period, it was as though the country was near its doom," Ridhuan said in his opinion piece.

He added that despite the school explaining the matter, some quarters were not happy and were making demands for the headmaster to be suspended or transferred.

Tee further questioned the lack of fuss against water being brought into the toilet for drinking after a massage or sauna at the spa.

He also asked how come people could accept smoking in toilets, but not eating in a changing room for a temporary period.

Tee said that he sympathised with the administrators of the school, whose good intentions were misunderstood, adding that people who were ultra kiasu sensationalised the issue for cheap publicity.

He praised the action of the deputy education minister who deemed the issue closed as it was a small matter.

He added the school had a solid reason for its decision, that the changing room had been used by the students since March, and not only during the fasting month, as the canteen was only able to accommodate up to 600 students, in contrast to the 1,300 students in Seri Pristana.

"They can’t be expected to eat in the teachers' room. The PTA agreed, so there was no need to sensationalise the issue," he noted.

Tee said the PTA was the best option to discuss, but noted that it was unfortunate that many parents chose not to attend PTA meetings.

"Suddenly these parents want to become hero and heroine," he added.