No ‘Penang and DAP’ event in schools, says education minister

Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid has ruled out the possibility of holding a DAP-themed event in Penang primary schools.

He said there is no clear reason for holding such an event and claimed that it was to serve as a provocation.

“If you just want to have it (the programme) just as a joke, then (it) cannot (be held). There needs to be a reason why it is held,” he told a press conference in Putrajaya this morning.

The minister was responding to DAP Youth leader Joshua Woo, who applied to hold a “Penang and DAP” programme in all primary schools in the state. 

Woo's application followed the Umno-themed classroom decoration competition held at a primary school in Putrajaya last week.

The event, attended by Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, witnessed pupils waving Umno flags, chanting party slogans and singing the Umno anthem.

This drew flak from various quarters, including education groups and the opposition.

However, Mahdzir defended the event, saying it was neither political nor unusual as it explained the role played by Umno in Malaysia’s journey to independence.

Woo, in a personal capacity, had submitted an official application to the Penang Education Department to hold the “Penang and DAP” event in March next year.

The DAP Youth leader said the event is to celebrate the rapid development of the state under 10 years of DAP rule.

Newspaper Sinar Harian had quoted Penang Education Department director Shaari Osman as saying that Woo’s application was rejected on the basis that it was incomplete.- Mkini