Kula: Disunity caused by racial parties, not schools

Hypocritical to talk about single-stream schools but still have race-based politics.

IPOH: Disunity among Malaysians is the result of an ethnic-based political structure and system, not vernacular education, says DAP vice-chairman M Kula Segaran.

He said it was quite hypocritical to speak about one stream school for all ethnic groups and at the same time have ethic based political structure and system.

“Ethno centric political system will reinforce the segmentation of ethnic communities into ethno centric schools,” said Kula, pointing out that Umno,MCA and MIC ethnic-oriented politics was reflected in the national and vernacular schools.

Kula’s remarks, in response to cabinet minister Abdul Wahid Omar’s speech at an economic forum recently urging the federal government to give priority to single stream schools, so that students of various ethnic groups would forge closer relationships.

Kula said that although Abdul Wahid’s idea seemed noble, it defied reality: it was the very nature of the country’s political system that had reinforced the ethnic nature of the national and vernacular schools.

“Even if we follow the logic of the minister, the ethno-religious manipulation of political elites for political survival will nullify the ideal of one stream national schools that the minister was talking about. How could ethnic unity starting from primary school with single streams then reconcile with ethno-centric institutions like Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)?

“Unless the minister is able to connect the lines from primary schools to university, any assertions on his part that subtlety espouse the abolition of vernacular centered education seems shallow,” said Kula, the Ipoh Barat MP

He said that 95 percent of Malaysian Chinese parents and 60 percent of Malaysian Indian parents sent their children to vernacular schools. Single-stream schools would deny them their rights to mother-tongue education and exacerbate the brain drain problem, he said.

He said the education ministry should first deal with the Islamic orientation of national schools and declining standards, as parents would desire the best education for their children. It was the duty of the federal government to convince parents that mother-tongue education was here to stay and that the character of national schools would reflect Malaysia’s multi-ethnic nature, and that the standards of education would be enhanced.

Abdul Wahid should address these shortcomings before proposing single-stream schooling, he said.