SIMPLE-MINDED OR PURE RACIST, FOR ZAHID & GANG – GOVT LEADERS MUST BE ANTI-CHINESE OR THEY CANNOT BE PRO-MALAY

THE Umno president today accused Pakatan Harapan ministers of showing less concern for the  teaching of Jawi than they did for Chinese New year decorations in school.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed the ruling coalition responded with different degrees of urgency to the two issues, both of which have made national headlines.

Press reports, however, show that the same cabinet members who had defended the Puchong secondary school under fire for putting up Chinese festive ornaments had also spoken up for the government’s policy to teach Jawi in the vernacular schools.

PH ministers and Selangor government leaders visited on the school to help put up the decorations that had been taken down after a politician from Malay nationalist party, Putra, complained that they were of a religious bent and intended to convert the Muslim schoolchildren.

Zahid accused the ministers today of being silent in the face of opposition from Chinese educationists to the decision to teach Jawi to primary four vernacular pupils.

“Would it not have been great if the same solidarity was shown for the teaching of Jawi which was aggressively attacked by Dong Jiao Zong,” Zahid wrote in a statement.

“But what is sad is that it did not happen. Ministers were quiet and did not defend the policy.”

“In fact some said Jawi is archaic and caused divisiveness while some leaders think that Chinese calligraphy can foster unity. What has happened? What about the feelings of Malay-Muslims when they see these two different responses?

Press reports contradict Zahid’s accusations of double standards.

Some of the ministers who voiced their support for the Jawi policy include Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, de facto Islamic Affairs Minister Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching.

DAP leaders have also defended the Jawi policy, for which they were heckled by their core Chinese supporters.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT