The introduction of khat (a form of Malay-Arabic calligraphy) as part of the Bahasa Melayu subject for Year Four students next year can go ahead, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday.
Referring to protests by certain quarters over the matter, he said those objecting voices were from only a small segment of society. – THE STAR
PM: Not right to object to ‘khat’, other written languages were never opposed
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said objections to introducing khat to the Bahasa Melayu primary school syllabus were “not right.”
He said this was as the written scripts of other languages were never opposed in Malaysia previously.
“The Chinese written script is not allowed in other countries, including nations such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
“It is something special in Malaysia, which did not bar the written script of the respective communities,” he was quoted as saying by New Straits Times.
As such, he said that it was not right that some quarters in DAP to object to khat.
Utusan Malaysia cited him saying that only some in DAP were opposed to the Jawi script.
Mahathir was also reported as saying that khat was a fine art and its teaching should be continued.
He was speaking at a dialogue with university undergraduates in Malacca today.
In the last few days, the proposal to introduce khat writing for Standard 4 students in vernacular schools had become a heated topic.
A group of 138 DAP branch and division leaders, along with 11 state assemblypersons, had protested against the move on grounds that it would institutionalise and politicise the Jawi script.
DAP is expected to discuss the matter internally on Monday.
Education Minister Maszlee Malik said today the ministry’s move was not aimed at “establishing Islamisation in vernacular schools”. – MKINI
THE STAR / MKINI
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