When segregation begins in schools

Raevathi Supramaniam Ravin Palanisamy Yvonne Lim Raevathi Supramaniam, Ravin Palanisamy, Yvonne Lim Updated 5 years ago · Published on 25 Nov 2018 7:00AM · 10 Comments

BEHIND the main canteen of SMK St Francis, Malacca – a school built in 1880 by missionaries – is a smaller eating space with a sign that reads “Kantin Melayu” (Malay canteen).  

The school, better known by its former name St Francis Institution or SFI, is one of at least four other mission schools and a handful of vernacular schools in the state that have built a second canteen – for Muslim pupils and staff.

This second canteen is run by a different Muslim operator from the main canteen.

A former SFI pupil, who only wanted to be known as Matt Ogus, told The Malaysian Insight that Muslims were not allowed to eat at the “non-Muslim” canteen. If they were caught, they would be reprimanded by the ustaz (religious teacher).

“The two canteens use different plates and cutleries. After eating, the pupils have to put them in separate bins. They will be washed separately,” said the 18-year-old.

The Malaysian Insight was informed of this two-canteen policy in certain schools by a reader, at the height of the debate on whether Malaysia should ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

ICERD is a United Nations convention which commits its members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding among all races.

Putrajaya said on Friday that it will not ratify the convention following anger from Malay rights groups and opposition political parties.

A ‘Kantin Melayu’ (Malay canteen) sign at a mission school in Malacca. The school has a separate canteen for Muslims who fear ‘contamination’. – The Malaysian Insight pic, November 25, 2018.

A canteen operator at one of the schools that The Malaysian Insight visited said his family have been running the main canteen for decades, but a lot has changed over the years.

The operator said even though the canteen is certified halal, Malay teachers and some pupils refuse to eat there.

“Last time, there were more Chinese and Indian teachers. But now a lot more Malay teachers are coming in, and they only want a 100% Malay operator.

“Even if you employ Malay staff to help you, they don’t want to eat here. They want their own people. We have no choice. This is Malaysia now,” he said.

More comfortable

The principals of some of these schools told The Malaysian Insight that there was no order from the state government or Education Ministry to build the extra canteen.

The decision was made after Muslim staff and parents said they were more comfortable eating food prepared by Muslim operators.

“The food sold at the main canteen is halal, of course. But some operators are non-Muslim. They (staff and parents) said that they are more comfortable if Muslims serve their food,” said SMK (P) Methodist principal Tay Kim Chee.

Tay added that several schools started adding the “Malay canteens” about 10 years ago.

SMJK Yok Bin principal Goh Tai Peng said the additional canteen in his school – a Chinese vernacular school – was built to cater to the 50-odd Muslim pupils there.

“Halal is not just no pork. It also involves the handling of food, such as meat. If the (non-Muslim) operator does not get his supply from a halal supplier, he cannot claim the food to be halal,” Goh said.

Mission and vernacular schools in Malacca set up the additional canteen to cater to the increasing number of Malay pupils and staff, he said.

However, a former principal who declined to be named, said that it was widely speculated that the former state government had pressured the schools to build the additional canteen.

“It was not in black and white, so no proof. But you can say it was (the former government),” the former principal said.

Nothing to do with racial segregation

Malacca State Education Department director Abu Bakar Saharim, however, said the separate canteen had “nothing to do with racial segregation” but to give pupils more options.

Abu Bakar said he was unsure if this was an order from the previous government, adding that the running of canteens is under the schools’ jurisdiction. The government only provides guidelines, he said.

“Non-halal food is not allowed at all. But there are those who care more about this, who are more religious.

“Why not have separate canteens? It only gives the pupils more choices. This is nothing to do with segregation of races.

National schools now are mostly segregated with one race dominating, unlike the years post-Merdeka until the 1980s. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, November 25, 2018.

“This has been going on for a long time, why pick on it now? It is a non-issue. But if this becomes viral, we will get a directive from above,” Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insight.

An officer at the Education Ministry’s pupils’ welfare unit said it was the schools’ prerogative to take on more than one canteen operator.

“The core operator needs to apply through the ministry, but subsequent operators can apply through the individual schools. It’s up to them to take on more than one operator, if they see fit.”

A check with the Kuala Lumpur Education Department revealed that none of the mission or vernacular schools here has a second canteen for Muslims.

The Penang Education Department said while none of the schools in the state has dual canteens, some of the large ones have segregated sections for Muslims.

Illogical

Another former SFI pupil, who only gave his name as Vin, said his Malay friends would often give him money to buy food from the “Chinese canteen”, and then eat it discreetly.

“They can’t go because the ustaz will stop them and then during religious classes, the ustaz will tell them that the Chinese canteen doesn’t have halal food.

“I don’t understand why (there is a need for a separate canteen) when there’s a certificate posted (at the canteen) that says ‘Halal’.

“When I ask my Malay friends this, they tell me they don’t understand either. I feel angry when I think about this. It is not logical at all,” said the 18-year-old.

The Malaysian Insight has contacted the Education Ministry and an official said they are investigating the matter. – November 25, 2018.

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Comments

  • This is quite sad for me personally because I used to visit SFI, MGS and Yok Bin in the 1980s and 1990s when all students mingled freely and ate together. Non-Muslims knew the meaning of halal and Muslims knew what they themselves can or cannot eat.

    Posted 5 years ago by Léon Moch · Reply

  • Most of the ustaz are retards.

    Posted 5 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply

  • This is and always was Malaysia! As long as Malays breed like rabbits they will continue to add on to their percentage of the population and more will be their religion and race-based demands. Nothing is going to change that. The non-Malays have to learn to adapt, adjust to the prevailing conditions and move on. The alternative is emigration which itself is fraught with risks and uncertainty. For those who can afford it, having a second home in a friendly, civilised country (very few options though) is a sensible and pragmatic proposition. If history is an indicator, there will be no successful Muslim-majority country worth living in a few decades down the road. Sad but alas ......

    Posted 5 years ago by Simple Sulaiman · Reply

  • If this is how its best for the malays to never leave the country be it for studys holidays for Medical reasons better stay in jungle caves as for the ustaz he has brains of a retard how stupid this people are hello look at all the other Muslim countries whats so great about the Muslim in Malaysia l m a Muslim too knowing this is the doing of politics damshit umno damshit pas leaders its all about power money not about the teachings of Islam. They dont Fear Allah they know what u dont see what is there to be afraid. They know what is power n money that makes the world go around. Its not important when they die every one dies most important its now u are Alive in this world. The End.

    Posted 5 years ago by Danial Abdullah · Reply

  • Why have untaz in schools....look what Najib has done to the country? We are more than half way to complete doom. We have to correct this. Surely some school officials do understand what racial discrimination is? Gone gone.

    Posted 5 years ago by Alphonz Jayaraman · Reply

  • At this rate, we will soon have different toilets for Malays and non-Malays and LGBT. Why was this never an issue for the Malays in the P Ramlee era when Malays could crack "racial" joke in a light hearted manner and even laugh at themselves? How does sharing a prayer platform with non-Malays praying to the same God for our nation degrading Islam?

    Posted 5 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply

  • It's sad to see how after 61 years of independence and about the same number of years of affirmative action for the majority, we are still seeing this type of mindset. This sense of entitlement mindset I believe is only within the minority Malays. Unfortunately, the same minority group of Malays are the ones who are playing the racial and religion cards. These individuals have constantly poison the well. Just look at Jamal Jamban whom with a few red shirt hooligans are able to create chaos. Fundamentally, we all know that something like this can only happen when the authority allows or support it. The new PH govt. should have the political will to right the wrong and start the healing process. Otherwise, Malaysia will forever be the backward country with escalating racial divide!

    Posted 5 years ago by Kam Lan · Reply

  • So we have a situation in which the level of HALAL is in question. We Muslims have started questioning each others' HALAL compliance. There is another secret thing happening in some Chinese schools. The Ugama teachers have a carpeted room for their classes. They have very few teaching periods per day. Most of the time they are on their hand phones. Some have even doubled as nasi lemah sellers during recess because they expressed was-was about the Malay operated school canteen. One previous headmistress said that they are untouchables. My advice to the Ed. Min. is make all children study 'moral education' where they learn about all religions

    Posted 5 years ago by Shaikh karim · Reply

  • All my g'children studied in SR(C), and they only attended the moral education classes when the Agama teacher was absent. They all scored very high grades for moral education in examination. The Muslim child is unfairly treated when we compare the subject requirement of Moral edu. and Agama Islam.

    Posted 5 years ago by Shaikh karim · Reply

  • I wonder why the Church doesn't just withdraw the mission schools from the government since the government has obviously tried to destroy the foundation of these schools. Take back the land and run a private institution.No one has any right to dictate how mission schools are run and that too coming from another faith and imposing their supremacist attitudes on the mission schools.

    Posted 5 years ago by K Pop · Reply