The Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) political group has filed a police report against the United Chinese School Committee Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong).
This is due to Dong Zong allegedly violating a social contract through their rejection of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) initiative to integrate the Bahasa Melayu (BM) syllabus into vernacular primary schools.
According to a report by Utusan Malaysia, Putra’s Head of Information, Shahrulufti Sharif made the report at Dang Wangi Police Station, Kuala Lumpur yesterday (August 28). In regard to this matter, he emphasised that empowering BM as the national language will help increase unity among the different races in Malaysia.
“Every Malaysian has the right to understand and appreciate the country’s culture and national language. Bahasa Melayu is important to strengthen the identity and the sense of togetherness among Malaysians,”
“As Malaysians, it is mandatory to understand and be fluent in the country’s national language in order to appreciate the soul and spirit of the country’s Constitution,” he said.
He has since urged the police to conduct an investigation because it involves a violation of the Federal Constitution in Clauses 151, 152, and 153.
“Appropriate prosecutive actions are very necessary.”
A total of 9 Chinese educational institutions in Malaysia unanimously rejected the KPM’s initiative.
United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) Chairman, Cheah Lek Aee were among those who apparently rejected the integration of the BM syllabus into vernacular primary schools.
He said that Chinese school students’ mother tongue is not BM, and that BM is more of a second language in Chinese schools, hence, they cannot be taught using the same syllabus as Malay students.
The 9 institutions include Jiao Zong, Dong Zong, the Federation of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese School Management Board Associations, the Malaysian Chinese Language Council, the Malaysian National Union of Head Teachers, the UTAR Institute of Chinese Studies, the Malaysian Conforming Middle School Principals Council, the Malaysian SJKC Head Teachers Council, and the Malaysian Chinese Education Parents Association.
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