THE government’s failure to provide a proper explanation for the introduction of Jawi lessons in primary schools has given rise to fears and suspicions, said Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) president Muhammad Faisal Aziz.

Speaking at a forum on Jawi last night, Faisal said both the government and civil rights groups had not addressed the fears.

He said there was a lack of trust among the public and it has made the teaching of Jawi in schools problematic.
 
“For hundreds of years we have used Jawi. It is part of our identity and history. All the charters during our golden days were written in Jawi. When the British sent letters to our sultans they were written in Jawi.

“But now Jawi has become a tool to create fear and we have done nothing to address it. The Chinese fear Islamisation and the Malays fear the Chinese –  (such things) were never an issue before,” he said.

Ikram deputy president Badlishah Sham urged more engagement through dialogue to reach  understanding.

“We must not look at this issue through the lens of race and religion. If we look from that point of view it will create distrust. We should look at the broader picture, or at a more meaningful view.

“Of course there will be objection but there should be room for engagement and to look for points of similarity,” he said.

K. Aramugam of the Tamil Foundation said Jawi lesson must not be forced on schoolchildren.

“When I was a kid in school I remember learning Jawi but that was different as at the time, my teacher, a Malay teacher, could speak to us in Tamil. There was a connection but now I don’t think we have that,” he said.

“To me, this subject should not be forced. Let them learn with an open heart so that they can feel attached to the subject.

“I do agree that another problem that we are facing is that we don’t seem to trust each other. There is distrust among us and that has caused more trouble.”

Putrajaya announced in August that it would proceed with the teaching of Jawi for Year 4 pupils but with some adjustments to the plan.

This came after protests from vernacular education groups.

The tweaked plan outlined fewer lessons and required the approval of the respective Parent-Teacher Association for the Arabic script to be taught in the school. 

Malay right wing groups have warned Dong Jiao Zong against holding a meeting at its headquarters this Saturday to discuss the Jawi lessons in schools.

They said that racial riots could break out if Dong Jiao Zong proceeded with its plan to hold the meeting. 

The group, representing several Malay civil society groups, also lodged a police report against Dong Jiao Zong.

Dong Jiao Zong had said that the meeting was not a protest but an indoor event to discuss the implementation of Jawi lessons in the vernacular schools. – December 27, 2019.