Chinese educationists lash out at ‘bigoted’ Perlis mufti

Angie Tan Angie Tan Updated 4 years ago · Published on 1 Jan 2020 11:08AM · 12 Comments

Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin sparks furore with his statement that Malaysia will always have racial conflicts so long as vernacular schools exist. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, January 1, 2020.

PERLIS Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s push for the closure of vernacular schools, claiming they destroy national unity, is bigoted and factually wrong, said Chinese education activists.

They said Chinese schools, especially, have a high number of non-Chinese pupils enrolled.

Malaysia Chinese Language Council chairman Wang Hong Cai said Asri has displayed his ignorance of vernacular education in Malaysia, and his prejudice towards Chinese and Tamil schools.

“Asri is ignoring the 200-year history of vernacular schools and the talent they have produced for the country, and is blaming them for communal friction instead,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

His comments come after the outspoken mufti, in a Facebook post, said Malaysia will always have racial conflicts so long as vernacular schools exist.

Asri also endorsed a dormant five-month-old online petition to shut vernacular schools, sharing a link to it. This led to a spike in signatures received.

His Facebook posts against vernacular schools have received hundreds of comments and thousands of “likes”.

Wang said Chinese primary schools, in particular, are not to blame for racial disunity, as they comprise pupils of different races.

Compared to national primary schools, where Bahasa Melayu is the primary medium of instruction, nearly 18% of pupils in Chinese schools are non-Chinese, and many of them are Malays, he said.

“Pupils of all ethnic groups learn together. There are also many non-Chinese university students studying in China now.

“Chinese primary schools recognise and accept racial diversity. Asri’s accusations show his ignorance of vernacular education and his bigoted views. Maybe, he has a personal agenda. He is ignoring the constitution and disregarding national unity.”

The federal constitution does not expressly guarantee vernacular schools’ right to exist, but is interpreted as protecting the right of these schools to remain under Article 152 on BM as the national language. The article allows the freedom to “teach, learn or use any other languages” except for federal or state government purposes. State and federal governments also have the power to allow “the use and study of the language of any other community”.

Wang urged the government not to allow statements like Asri’s to continue being made.

He said the rhetoric against vernacular schools over the past year, ignited by the controversial decision to introduce Jawi lessons for Year Four vernacular school pupils, has become worse and more common.

Putrajaya does not seem to be doing much to stem the rhetoric, or at least set things in perspective, he said.

“The government isn’t voicing any protest (to the rhetoric), but allowing the situation to continue. It can manufacture social unrest.”

Chua Kim Voon, president of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur United Chinese School Committees’ Association, better known as Dong Zong, said the government must do more to correct the situation, even if it does not want to use harsher punishment on the grounds of allowing free speech.

“Asri is simply distorting the facts. He is politicising the issue so much that he is going beyond his role as a religious figure. He should go into politics instead.

“This issue has been so badly politicised, and now, religion has been introduced to cause further divisions.”

He said the real problem is not about languages other than BM, but politicians seeking to score points.

“I believe all ethnic groups in Malaysia live in harmony, but the politicians are the ones using race as a bargaining chip and inciting these issues.” – January 1, 2020.

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Comments

  • celaka bersatu

    Posted 4 years ago by Astann astann · Reply

  • The single biggest cause of racial and religious division in this country is TDM.
    His departure is long overdue.

    Posted 4 years ago by Arul Inthirarajah · Reply

    • You are still on denial of history.

      Posted 4 years ago by Ahmad pauzi md yusof · Reply

    • Before you speak about the history, do read up the Constitutions and how it was drafted prior to Malaysians independence.

      Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • They feel threatened by the number of Malays enrolling in Chinese school.. that is the reason why they want to close chinese schools down. But they dont realize its the Chinese education that is helping the Malays to progress, achieve a better career and a better life.

    Posted 4 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply

  • Asri is committing a crime against the equal rights of all Malaysians as provided in our Constitution. The relevant authority who is supposed to take action is still sleeping.

    Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • We should have 1 common medium school to avoid racism in Malaysia like other countries such as China

    Posted 4 years ago by Ty Tiko · Reply

    • Are you sure people who speak the same language are united? Look at Hong Kong, Korea, and many East Asia and middle East countries. Some of them even profess the same religion.

      Unity is all about loving kindness, tolerance and humanity, not language alone.

      Posted 4 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Why would a language causes disunity? The cause of disunity in Malaysia is not vernacular schools. it is what you taught in school. If government continue to use school to propagate one particular
    religion rather than provide real education, how do you expect parents who want their children to have a good education to send their children to government school when these schools are only interested in coverting their children to one particular religion?

    Posted 4 years ago by CHEH Liang Mok · Reply

  • Mahathir first called the non-Malay "PENDATANG". The he changed it to "ORANG ASING". He was the one who signalled that Dong Zong's congress should not go on or else the Malays would get angry and react in "A VERY MALAY WAY". When the country's leader makes such statements, what is expected down the line? And Asri is very close to Zakir Naik. Remember the poem he wrote about the Indians - The Lembu Poem?

    Read it here: :

    Dr Asris post of his poem is as follows:

    ..apabila yang mempertuhankan lembu bersatu..

    lantas menyeru agar pendakwah kita dibelenggu..

    mahu diserahkan kepada kerajaan zalim menyembah api dan penganut sati..

    pembakar wanita janda..di benua sana..

    ajaran yang mengkastakan manusia..

    sedih, sehingga ada yang dipanggil paria..

    wajarkah manusia diperlakukan demikian rupa..

    betapa menghina insan sesama..

    di sini pula tidak pernah mereka berterima kasih kepada apa yang ada..

    berpakat mereka membuat angkara..

    kita tidak boleh berdiam bahasa..

    toleransi dan kesabaran ada hadnya..

    puisi pagi jumaat..

    Posted 4 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • Please note Muftis and Ulamas are the most moronic, idiotic imbecile lot. They did not pass Std 6, could not get any other job. Toilet cleaners have more wisdom than Muftis and Ulamas.
    it is easy to be Muftis , just memorize and spew out the garbage. They lack thinking skills.

    The main reason they want to ban vernacular schools is the jealousy and envy. The vernacular school students are doing much , much better than the Malays in normal schools. They just have no idea how to stop the success of the Chinese and the Indians. They create MARA , ITM exclusiveley for their own Malays , introduce quotas in Universities , fail to recognise UEC , yet the non-malays are more successful than ever.

    The fact that 4 states in Malaysia , all run by Muslim men only have been failures is the proof. Look at Kelantan and Perlis , always in deficits and have got no progress. Both states are proof of failure of governance and is concentrated on religion education only. Terengganu and Pahang is another example.

    Posted 4 years ago by Aran Thillainathan · Reply

  • Vernacular schools seem encourage more diversity than Government schools as they obviously do not allow religion and race to be brought into the school system. I argue that its is the Government schools that cause racial and religious divide. I just watch kids arriving at the government school near my home and i could not even spot a single Malaysian of chinese, indian, eurasian ethnicity. And now the education minister is furthering this religious move into learning institutions.

    Posted 4 years ago by Sunita petrus · Reply