Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) has called upon Education Minister Maszlee Malik to conduct a dialogue with Chinese educationist groups on the teaching of Jawi script lessons in vernacular schools.
At a press conference today, KLSCAH Human Right Committee head Liau Kok Fah said he believes such a dialogue will resolve the misunderstanding between different groups on Jawi lessons.
He said KLSCAH agrees with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim who called for all parties to cancel their respective gatherings on this issue and return to dialogue.
"We welcome Anwar's statement yesterday that we should go back to dialogue.
"Maszlee should take the first step to invite all concern parties or stakeholders to (meet).... He should be more proactive on this issue," added Liau (photo).
Lau said the government needs to discuss and consider the calls of educationist group Dong Zong and Jiao Zong (collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong) by allowing school boards of each Chinese primary school to decide on such lessons.
"I am not saying such a dialogue will end the Jawi (controversy), but at least a large portion of the misunderstanding can be resolved," he said.
Despite concurring Anwar on the need for dialogue, KLSCAH, however, felt that Dong Jiao Zong has every right to hold a Chinese Organisations Congress to consult with various Chinese NGOs on the Jawi issue as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Not a stand-off between Malays and Chinese
KLSCAH president Ong Seng Khek said the consultative meeting between the Chinese NGOs should not be labelled as an anti-Malay, anti-Jawi or anti-government congress.
"We call upon all Malaysians to see the meeting as a normal deliberation exercise in civil society, which will hopefully bring us closer to a solution acceptable to all.
"I think (the Dec 28 congress is) a contribution to the country," he added.
"It is not a stand-off between Malays and Chinese and it must not be misinterpreted as such by any party.
"The Chinese community has never opposed the learning of Jawi, we only disagree with it being taught in the curriculum," said Ong (below).
He said KLSCAH will send representatives to attend the closed-door meeting on Dec 28.
Dong Jiao Zong had said it will be organising a congress to protest the latest teaching guidelines by the Education Ministry for Jawi lessons.
The aim of the congress is to convince the government to cancel the lessons in vernacular schools.
The new government guidelines are to allow parents to decide if such lessons can be introduced in schools. The lessons will proceed if more than half of all parents agree to it.
Dong Jiao Zong disagreed with this, on grounds that it will ruin the relationship among parents from different ethnicities who send their children to vernacular schools, especially the Chinese language ones.
It insisted that the schools' board of governors ought to have a say in the decision to implement Jawi lessons, which are slated to begin from next year for Standard Four pupils. - Mkini
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