Teachers' right to support opposition parties, minister told

Pakatan Harapan leaders have blasted Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid for telling teachers who actively promote the opposition or discredit the government to resign from the civil service.

Amanah's Kota Raja MP Siti Mariah Mahmud said teachers have every right to support a political party that can improve their working conditions.

“With the rise in information technology and growing interest in politics among the people, it is pretty strange when a national leader like Mahdzir chooses to be conservative and old-fashioned in denying the right of teachers to support political parties that are not in government.

“Perhaps it's because the attitude of outdated leaders such as this, that is causing the country to fail to reach developed nation status by the target year 2020, forcing it to be extended to 2050,” said Siti Mariah in a statement today.

“I suggest Mahdzir stop interfering in the affairs of teachers outside of school hours, and instead prioritise efforts in raising the standards of teaching and learning in schools,” she said.

She said it is no secret that teachers are burdened with administrative and clerical tasks that interfere with their teaching duties, and such extra workload even spills into their after work hours.

They are also reported to be required to attend courses that have nothing to do with the teaching profession, said the MP.

“With all this burden unrelated to their job, surely teachers have a right to choose and participate in other political parties with the hope they could guarantee the quality of education in the country would be improved to the utmost,” she said.

Siti Mariah said the minister should look at the poor educational infrastructure in rural areas and in Sabah and Sarawak, which should be the focus of his ministerial duties.

As for the teachers, she said teachers and other civil servants should be wary of an increasingly autocratic government that is increasingly intolerant of criticisms from the civil service.

“Ensure you use the power of your vote to change the government now, to a new one that cares more for the plight of all segments of society,” she said.

Loyalty to country, not BN

Meanwhile Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen's special assistant Kelvin Yii said he was “appalled” by Mahdzir's warning to teachers, which showed a “clear disrespect for the principles of democracy and well as the use of fear tactics to control and intimidate the civil service”.

Yii said BN should not demand “blind loyalty” from civil servants as the taxpayers are the ones who pay their their salaries.

“Civil servants are paid by revenue generated from the country. Revenue from a country comes from many sources, which one of it is income tax, which is paid by the public.

“So it is not the government nor is it BN that pays the salary of teacher and civil servants. The loyalty of these civil servants is to the country, not to a political party nor to an individual,” he said.

Yii said government agencies should not be politicised and any general orders that limits the freedom of speech and of association as enshrined in the federal constitution should be reformed.

Independent and critical thinking, he said, is critical to educators and should be cultivated for the sake of the children they educate.

The quality of education would be put at risk, he said, if teachers should be “selected not by educational merit, but only by loyalty to a political party”.- Mkini