Akmal accepts Rajiv's invite to chat on vernacular schools

 

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has accepted Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran’s invite to meet for “coffee” to have a chat over the hot topic of vernacular schools.

“Just set the date, place and time, bro, I will be there.

“We are always open for debate or talk about the single-stream education topic. Make it happen,” Akmal (above) said on Facebook today.

Yesterday, Rajiv said if Akmal is sincere about national unity, he should not sully debates by belittling those with different views.

“Insulting those with different views is certainly not the path towards national unity.

“Before shooting down decades of successful vernacular education, to which might I point out, SJKC schools are the most multiracial schools today compared to national schools, why don’t you engage everyone in dialogue?

“If your motivation is to stir and rile up your supporters, showing your racial credentials, then I guess you’ll keep spewing this kind of statements,” Rajiv said in a statement.

Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran

Both Akmal and former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy have been involved in a heated exchange over the vernacular school subject the past week.

This was after Akmal questioned the logic behind Ramasamy espousing a “Bangsa Malaysia” while insisting on vernacular schools, saying that such arguments are why racial unity can’t be fostered.

“Kamu mabuk ke apa? (Are you drunk or what?),” Akmal said on Facebook, in response to Ramasamy’s remark.

Call to refine

On Wednesday (March 6), Akmal suggested for Putrajaya to refine the schooling system, saying that perhaps the time has come for a single-stream education system to be implemented.

He later called on the government to conduct a detailed evaluation of the vernacular education system, by inculcating nationalistic aspects while strengthening its students’ command of the Malay language.

Ramasamy responded by saying that Akmal was wrong to blame vernacular schools for racial divisions and blamed politics instead.

Last month, the Federal Court rejected an appeal by two NGOs seeking to declare vernacular schools unconstitutional, thereby protecting their constitutionality.