Vernacular schools have not eroded national identity, says academic group

Gerak secretary-general Rosli Mahat says the vernacular school issue has been politicised for personal interest and to garner support.

SUBANG JAYA: The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) has slammed a call for the abolition of vernacular schools, arguing that such schools have not eroded the national identity.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the National Patriots Association’s (Patriot) poem titled “Obor Akinabalu”, Gerak secretary-general Rosli Mahat said the medium of instruction of vernacular schools did not affect the spirit of patriotism.

“Vernacular schools have been in the country for a long time. I have gone through the system and I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said.

“Language has nothing to do with whether you are patriotic or not. Language does not represent the love for our country.”

Rosli said this in response to Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal’s call for such schools to be abolished in stages.

Wan Ahmad Fayshal, who is also the PPBM Youth chief, claimed that vernacular schools had not produced students who possess a “strong national identity”.

Rosli said this issue had been politicised for personal interest and to garner support.

He said if the Malay language was really important in nurturing the national identity, it should be used in all sectors.

“If language is an important factor, then ask universities and PhD students to use Malay as well,” he said.

He said people should question why parents were keen to send their children to vernacular schools instead of national schools.

“What is wrong with the education system in national schools? That is what people should focus on.”

On the sexual harassment case involving a Universiti Malaya senior lecturer, Rosli expressed frustration over the decision by the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop the case.

“We are surprised by the decision because sexual harassment is a serious crime, and police should have taken action,” he said.

He said there had been a decline in academic ethics and value.

“Universities are so focused on climbing the ranking when they should be focusing on academic ethical values and rights. Ranking is nothing without rights,” he said.

Meanwhile, Patriot president Mohamed Arshad Raji urged the government to severely punish those who pollute the country’s water sources.

“Apart from the culprits, punishment must also be meted out to politicians and public servants who fail in their responsibilities to ensure the safety of our drinking water,” he said when commenting on the Sungai Gong pollution incident.

“Obor Akinabalu” is a critical and hard-hitting poem directed at politicians and political parties that seem to put their own interests first, instead of the country’s.

Patriot said the poem reflected a bottled-up frustration of the people not only those in Sabah but also most Malaysians. - FMT