By Lim Guan Eng, MP for Bagan

The 3 MCA and Gerakan Ministers must draw the red line that the Cabinet disavow Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Razali Ibrahim’s divisive, extremist and unconstitutional attacks against Mandarin mother tongue education by building a new Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina(SJKC) in Bukit Indah, Johor or else they will resign the Ministerial posts.

In response to requests for a new SJKC in Bukit Indah, Razali had called on the BN Federal government not to build any more new Chinese schools because the existence of SJKC does not strengthen national schools and served only to divide the people and rupture relations between the various races. DAP cannot understand this backward thinking and perverse logic when MCA Ministers are appointed even though they attend SJKCs. Is Razali saying that the 2 MCA Ministers are divisive and anti-national?

The learning and study of mother-tongue education is a fundamental constitutional right under Article 152 of the Federal Constituton. This right is also protected under the United Nations. For this reason, the 3 MCA and Gerakan Ministers must boldly demand that Cabinet repudiate Razali’s extremist comments by words and deeds.

Building a new SJKC is the more effective answer to express not only the BN Federal government’s commitment to mother-tongue education but also a slap in the face for extremists like Razali. A new SJKC in Bukit Indah is necessary because the existing SJKC are full and too far away such as SJKC Kuo Kuang 2 (Skudai), SJKC Ming Chih (Horizon Hills), SJKC Ming Teck (Gelang Patah) and SJKC Ping Min (Lima Kedai).

The 3 MCA and Gerakan Ministers must therefore draw a red line and resign if this is not achieved at the next Cabinet meeting. If no new SJKC are allowed to be built, then the next step in future will be extremists like Razali calling for the closure of SJKC. Failing to resign will also show that both MCA and Gerakan value the perks and privileges of Ministerial posts over principle and prefer empty propaganda over people-centric policies.