Two Chinese education groups have condemned Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar for supposedly stoking racial tensions and attacking a fundraising event for Chinese vernacular schools for political mileage.
The United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong) and United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) - collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong - said the real target of Sukri’s attacks was Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu.
“We are disgusted by this opportunistic behaviour, which aims to attack political rivals at the expense of Malaysia’s ethnic relations,” they said in a statement.
As for the Education Ministry’s announcement that it would investigate the matter, the two groups urged the authorities to be professional and rational, and not be swayed by political rhetoric.
This is especially with the ministry’s statement reminding schools that existing guidelines prohibit schools from receiving donations from the proceeds of gambling activities, cigarette manufacturers, alcoholic beverage makers and the likes, they added.
“We believe the ministry should clarify this to avoid disrupting fundraising efforts for Chinese primary schools.
“It should be noted that Chinese schools have long faced issues such as dilapidated buildings, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of funding.
“Over the past 30 years, (the brewery company) and generous individuals have raised over hundreds of millions of ringgit for hundreds of Chinese schools nationwide,” they said.
“These acts of generosity, which benefit countless students, should be commended, not distorted to create racial conflict and harm social harmony,” they stressed.
Dong Jiao Zong added that it is common for many businesses to have corporate social responsibility initiatives to support education, and such public support for education will make resource mobilisation more effective.
“As long as the companies are legitimate and (the donations) are unconditional, all parties should welcome their social responsibility efforts to assist various types of schools.
“The government should also adopt an open-minded attitude and encourage corporate contributions to society,” the statement read.
‘Islam under threat’
On July 19, Sukri criticised the Chinese Education Charity Concert held at SJK (C) Tche Min in Sungai Pelek, Sepang, on July 14.
He noted that a deputy minister had even participated, holding a mock cheque featuring the logo of Tiger Beer, the brand that sponsored the event.
“If this is how an Amanah leader is going to behave, Islam’s sanctity will be under threat by liberalisation masked as Islam,” he said on Facebook.
Although Sukri did not name the deputy minister, it is believed he was referring to Aiman.
Following this, Aiman apologised to those offended by her holding the mock cheque with the Tiger Beer logo, while her parliamentary service centre in Sepang explained that she was unaware of the brewery’s involvement until she turned up at the event.
At the same time, the Sepang MP said that, as a leader, she cannot neglect the needs of non-Muslim communities.
Her service centre said that Aiman had donated RM100,000 for the construction of the school’s hall, while the brewery donated more than RM3 million.
“All donors were celebrated by the school committee with a ceremony to hand over tokens of appreciation and a photography session on stage,” the centre said.
The Education Ministry also issued a statement yesterday stating that it takes this issue seriously and is investigating.
However, its deputy minister Wong Kah Woh expressed strong support for the event and thanked the private companies and entities for also supporting education. - Mkini
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