School reports student with ‘inquiring mind’ to police

A 17-year-old teenager's future is in jeopardy because he questioned the principles of the Rukunegara.

SUBANG JAYA: Teachers in a school in Brickfields have allegedly lodged a police report against a 17-year-old student who questioned the ‘celebration of independence’ and the tenets in the Rukunegara.

Nicol Paul Miranda, an ordinary Form Five student, who has since been suspended from SMK Vivekananda, said the school is also threatening not to release his school leaving certificate which is a requirement to further his tertiary education.

Relating the reasons for his suspension, Nicol said: “I questioned why are we celebrating independence when our democracy has not evolved. It is still under the BN regime.”

He said his second brush with the authorities took place via his Civics answer sheet for the SPM trials.

The question was on the pros of Rukunegara.

“I questioned why we needed to recite the Rukunegara’s first principle, Believe in God when places of worship are being demolished.

“I also questioned the second principle, Loyalty to the King and Country because it is not right to force an individual to be loyal,” he told newsmen at PKR’s ‘Tweet-Up’ function yesterday,.

As a result, his trial exam results were not released. He was further suspended for three days.

Nicol also claimed that the discipline teachers at his school almost harmed his mother when she went there to query his suspension.

“They (school) have also lodged a police report against me in Bukit Aman and Brickfields,” added Nicol who is currently working with a Malaysian NGO on human rights issues.

Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar who was also present at the function assured Nicol that she would raise the matter with the relevant authorities. - FMT