UMNO Youth chief stunned by Bersatu peer’s sudden change of stance by “not wanting to close down vernacular schools”

 

ONE can understand the nationalistic concern of UMNO Youth head honcho Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh which prompted him to take a jab at his Bersatu counterpart Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal for stating that Perikatsn Nasional (PN) has no intention to shut down vernacular school if it becomes government of the day.

In a statement made in the midst of campaigning for the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election slated for May 11, Ahmad Fayhsal said that that PN was not against vernacular schools but would instead support the effort “to enrich them” with the national curriculum.

“As we’ve said in Parliament, we would like vernacular schools to be enriched with the national curriculum so that they reflect national characteristics,” the Machang MP pointed out during a recent media conference. “Basically, PN will not close down vernacular schools.”

He was commenting on the ‘apology’ extended by PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari for raising the issue of education background of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Pang Sock Tao who happened to attend a vernacular school.

But Akmal who is also the Merlimau state assemblyman was caught with surprise for barely four years earlier, Ahmad Fayhsal who was then the youth and sports deputy minister had been adamant that vernacular schools should be abolished.

“Before is different, now is different,” reacted Akmal in a rebuttal tone on his Facebook page. “What’s up, bro? As if your position can easily be shifted in the quest to win votes.”

In a statement issued in August 2020, Ahmad Fayhsal had pushed for the abolition of vernacular schools as Bersatu’s main agenda instead of leveraging the preservation of vernacular school as a tool to get votes.

“Armada maintains its position that vernacular schools should be phased out,” he noted in a statement which appeared in Malaysiakini.

“There needs to be an effort to ensure that this becomes a priority on the national agenda and not to be used solely as political material whether within the government or the opposition bloc in the quest to obtain votes.”

But while Ahmad Fayhsal’s stance has shifted, that of Akmal who is also the executive councillor for rural development, agriculture and food security “is holding steady” as he is all-out to fight for “a single-stream education system” in the country.

One netizen summed up perfectly the sudden change of stance by Ahmad Fayhsal by justifying that “there is no such thing that what was said yesterday would remain the same today”.

In fact, the direction and objectives of political parties are subject to change “so long as power can be achieved”. – Focus Malaysia