MCA has perhaps taken a cue from DAP which has won the hearts of the Chinese by vowing to defend the right of vernacular schools to exist after court action was taken to challenge their legality.
In fact, with education being perceived as core necessity of the Chinese since ancient times, defending and championing mother-tongue education – or vernacular school in this regard – is probably a great way for MCA make itself relevance once more in the eyes of the Chinese community.
Given there have been individuals and parties who have repeatedly challenged the constitutionality of vernacular schools through legal means in recent years, MCA said it has also appointed lawyers to represent the party in response to these lawsuits – by first stepping in as an intervener and later as a defendant.
MCA, according to its secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon will never back down from protecting the rights to mother tongue education “no matter in the past, present or future, and regardless of whether we are in the government or in the opposition”.
“The existence of multi-stream schools, including SK, SJK(C), SJK(T), the rights for each ethnic group to learn, teach, and use their mother tongue language, and, for parents to select the school stream to enroll their children in, are explicitly protected by the Federal Constitution and the Education Act,” the former Deputy Education Minister II pointed out.
“These rights should never be doubted or challenged by any parties. The Federal Constitution and the Education Act guarantees the right to receive mother tongue education, and for the government and the Education Ministry to construct and maintain multi-stream schools.”
These provisions are stated clearly in Article 152(1)(a) and (b) of the Federal Constitution, and Section 28 of the Education Act, according to Chong.
“Any individual or party who doubt or challenge the constitutionality of vernacular schools, are not only going against the spirit of our founding fathers – and against the Federal Constitution – but are also in denial of the fact that Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation,” he justified.
“If these parties continue to raise the issue of the existence of vernacular schools, MCA remains steadfast and ready to intervene to defend these constitutional rights.” – July 5, 2023
