PETALING Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has slammed PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari for his claim that the Islamist party had never opposed the existence of vernacular schools in the country.
Calling Ahmad Fadhli’s statement a lie, the PKR lawmaker expressed surprise over the former’s statement and warned Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) voters to be wary of the party and Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) “twisted words”.
“I was surprised to read the statement by Fadhli that for PAS, vernacular schools are not an issue and PAS has never opposed vernacular schools, saying that they can exist but with some reforms,” Lee remarked in a statement on Monday (May 6).
“Voters in Kuala Kubu Baharu must be wary of the twisted words of PAS and PN leaders who supposedly want to protect their (voters) interests just to get their votes in this by-election.”
Lee further gave several examples where PAS had called for the abolition of vernacular schools in the country, among them a Sinar Harian report on June 22, 2019 where PAS Dewan Muslimat PAS Malaysia (DMPM) deputy head Salamiah Md Nor had called on the Pakatan Harapan government to abolish the vernacular education system.
He further cited then Pahang PAS commissioner Ustaz Rosli Abdul Jaba who issued an official statement on Facebook on June 26, 2019 stating that the Pahang PAS Liaison Body fully supports Salamiah’s statements and recommendations and called for the PH government to abolish the vernacular education system.
“The top leaders of PAS, including its president, deputy president, and Ahmad Fadhli himself attended the Malay Dignity Congress on Oct 6, 2019, and recited the ‘Sumpah Anak Watan’ en masse, one of which was ‘to promote a single education system’ in line with the Education Cluster resolution presented by a representative from Sultan Idris University, Nurul Fatin Aqilah Rahim, who demanded that vernacular schools be abolished,” Lee remarked.
He further pointed to an article in Harakah Daily on Sept 12, 2020 titled “Abolish the implementation of the vernacular school system” which quoted the Melaka PAS Young Women’s Wing director Hazirah Isa who also urged the abolishment of the vernacular school system, saying that the system is “seen as not fostering unity”.
Hazirah had also said that only single-stream schools can educate and foster national integration among the next generation, and said DMPM should be “consistent” in defending its position on the issue and that they don’t want to be involved in the PN agreement and then be seen “to be subservient on this issue”.
According to Lee, the examples that he had cited clearly contradicted Ahmad Fadhli’s recent declaration and asked if the party had ignored Hazirah’s call not to bow to PN on the matter.
He noted that in contrast to PAS, which often talks convolutedly and pawns the principles of the struggle according to its political convenience, PH and PKR, along with DAP, have always been consistent on the issue.
“Even when we were together with PAS (in Pakatan Rakyat), we remained against any call to abolish vernacular schools,” he stated. – May 6, 2024
Main pic credit:
