Racism in our schools: Who can explain the mess - PM, DPM?

What is happening to our nation's education system? The politics of racism and hate is now spreading into schools and our children are now being taught racism - right smack in their tender and formative years.

Our children are being taught to think of themselves as Malays, Chinese and Indians and not as Malaysians at all. Our children are now being lectured and told to accept the fact that Chinese and Indians are merely "penumpang" in a country called Malaysia.

Take the recent case in Johor where an 'insane' principal of a secondary school in Johor gave a speech that went like this:

"Pelajar-pelajar Cina tidak diperlukan dan boleh balik ke China ataupun Sekolah Foon Yew. Bagi pelajar India, tali sembahyang yang diikat di pergelangan tangan dan leher pelajar nampak seakan anjing dan hanya anjing akan mengikat seperti itu".

Doesn't she sound like someone from Perkasa? Are Umno and Perkasa trying to perpetrate patterns of disunity into the brainwaves and mindsets of our children so that they too will end up fighting a racial war when they grow up?

It looks like our educators have turned themselves into politically-racist animals, seizing every opportunity to curry favor with the top - in this case DPM and Education minister Muhyiddin Yassin who is already well-known for his racial rhetoric. But if this is the best example from our Education minister, then God save our children!

Under him, state education departments gave out circulars to schools to ban Buddhist societies, Christian fellowships and Hindu clubs. One totally misguided headmaster even gave an order to disband a Chinese language society in his school.

What is Malaysia coming too? Are Malays really so unsure of themselves, or is it just Muhyiddin and Perkasa? Once the dirty deed is done, there is no point in saying it was all a misunderstanding. That is not acceptable at all.

Unless our education system is made up of ignorant and uneducated people. Or these incidents were triggered intentionally to scare the non-Malays - to give a hint of what could happen to them if they stopped voting for BN in the next general election. And also to create sympathy amongst the Malays for the teachers accused of racism by the minorities? Would this help to justify the existence of Perkasa? Is this what it is all about?

If you think I am over-complicating the matter, then look at Muhyiddin. He went a thousand steps further by suddenly invoking the specter of the May 13 racial riots.If this is not a threat, I don't know what is.

Let's admit it. Racism, hate and fear are being systematically and officially promoted in the education of our young and these moves are endangering the whole nation.

What action has the Education ministry taken so far? Why is there no stern action against the irresponsible ministry officials who carried out such circulars? How about those principals - headmasters and headmistresses - who intentionally went about creating disharmony in our multiracial society?

But despite the apparent confusion, what is actually happening is quite clear. These incidents are not accidents or misunderstandings but deliberate moves made to further the sinister interests of certain political groups.

That is why we have yet to see any affirmative action taken against all those who are guilty. Is this what we call 1Malaysia? PM Najib, perhaps you can explain the mess your administration and Education minister has created.

Viktor Wong
Malaysia Chronicle
23/08/10

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