Communicate more, urges Teo as khat contention continues

Lee Chi Leong Lee Chi Leong Updated 6 years ago · Published on 13 Aug 2019 1:31PM · 3 Comments

(From left) Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the launch of the national civics education programme in schools, in Putrajaya today. Teo calls on Malaysians with differing opinions on the khat issue to discuss with each other. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, August 13, 2019.

THE divisive khat issue shows the need for communication, said the deputy education minister today.

Instead of building walls, said Teo Nie Ching, Malaysians with differing opinions should discuss the matter.

“I feel that we need to communicate more instead of building walls. Only then will we see mutual respect and understanding in our society,” she said in Putrajaya, where she attended the launch of the national civics education programme in schools.

The DAP lawmaker was asked to comment on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s description of the United Chinese School Committees’ Association, or Dong Zong, as “racist” for opposing the government’s move to introduce khat in the Bahasa Malaysia syllabus for Year Four pupils in vernacular schools.

Dr Mahathir said Dong Zong has never been supportive of national education policies, and cited the Vision School, or Sekolah Wawasan, concept introduced previously.

Although Putrajaya has decided to cut the number of pages dedicated to khat lessons from six to three, as well as made its teaching optional, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he will still raise the matter at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, who was also at the Putrajaya event today, declined to comment on DAP’s plan to revisit the matter.

“I am a Bersatu minister, not a DAP (minister). You should ask DAP ministers,” he told reporters. – August 13, 2019.

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Comments

  • Let us communicate with you now. Retract khat lessons the way you retracted from ICERD and Rome Statue.

    Posted 6 years ago by Yoon Kok · Reply

  • Communicate more than ideas about swimming pools and black shoes.

    Posted 6 years ago by Emmanuel Joseph · Reply

  • Retract Khat which is of no use in our daily Life of the non muslim.

    Posted 6 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply