THINK of national interests first said a youth leader from ruling Islamist party Amanah to vernacular education groups as communal sentiments have impacted national education policies.

Shazni Munir Ithnin of Amanah Youth said one of aims of the national education policy was to build a united citizenry.

But this aim is being jeopardised by narrow interests that are driving a wedge between the country’s ethnic communities, he said at the Amanah national convention in Shah Alam today.

Shazni then named Dong Zong as one of these groups and urged the United Chinese school committees association to put the national education policy first over its interests.

Dong Zong, as well as Tamil vernacular education groups, have spearheaded a campaign to make the teaching of khat among primary four pupils an elective instead of the government’s initial decision to make it compulsory.

Anger over the khat decision as well as other education issues close to the Chinese community was a core reason behind PH’s massive loss in the recent Tanjung Piai by-election.

“Amanah will not take a hardline stance but we urge groups such as Dong Zong to be more objective and rational and put national interest above communal interests,” Shazni said when debating the president’s speech.

“Because if not, the next generation of kids growing up in 10 years will have even stronger racial sentiments,” Shazni said.

On another matter, Shazni urged Amanah’s leaders in the federal government to press for an increase in legislative seats at both the national and state level.

He said more parliamentary and state assembly constituencies were necessary to effectively service the huge population of voters that will be created after the voting age was reduced to 18.

“By 2023 the voting population will be 22.7 million and this will affect the service delivery system of all elected representatives,” he said.

“The ability to effectively service these populations will be even more challenging in rural constituencies.” – December 7, 2019.