MALAYSIANS must celebrate primary school teacher Mohd Fadli Mohamed Salleh from Sekolah Kebangsaan (1) Gombak for being cleared of any wrongdoing by the Education Ministry following his open criticism of the Malaysian education system and math syllabus of primary school students.
Normally, once such a show-cause letter is delivered by the Education Ministry, some sort of disciplinary action will be taken.
It is clear that Mohd Fadli was cleared of all three accusations brought against him by the Education Ministry because of the impending general elections and the overwhelming public support that forced the caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to express concern.
If only the PM was similarly moved by the decline of the ringgit to a historic low of RM3.33 against the Singapore dollar and to a new 24-year old low of RM4.72 against the greenback.
Up to now Ismail Sabri’s deadly silence have left many businesses and Malaysians lost and confused as to what the Government plans to do to shore up the ringgit.
Cikgu Fadli even hinted that he was saved by the general election when he asked all political parties to include his concerns about the failure of the education system and the broken system that is run by the Education Ministry in their general election manifesto.
Perhaps, general elections should be held every year so that brave civil servant like Cikgu Fadli who exposes a broken education system will not be victimised but is protected by citizen outrage and the government’s fear of losing votes.
Questioning a broken system
Cikgu Fadli is like the boy who questioned why the naked emperor was not wearing any clothes.
He should be praised and celebrated for bravely pointing out a broken system in the Education Ministry the way the boy who questioned why the Emperor was naked and not wearing any clothes. Instead, he was threatened with punishment for telling the truth and even doing the right thing.
Cikgu Fadli had questioned the concealed and unseen force that threatened him with punishment for pointing out a broken system in the Education Ministry. He had earlier conveyed to the Education Ministry internally seeking for action but in vain, forcing him to disclose the matter publicly.
A show cause letter should be sent to the caretaker education minister for not admitting that he has presided over a broken down system that has failed not only the teachers but their pupils as well.
The issues encountered by Cikgu Fadli extends to my parliamentary constituency in Bagan where schools do not receive any funding for basic repairs of doors, toilets, compounds, buildings and air-conditioners.
Unless immediate remedial action is taken now, the meeting between the caretaker education minister and Cikgu Fadli will only be a sandiwara or sheer theatrics to delude the voters as if the Government is concerned about finding a solution to the issues that have been raised by Cikgu Fadli. – Oct 19, 2022
Lim Guan Eng is DAP national chairman, Bagan MP and a former finance minister.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia
