The Vernacular School Brouhaha

As usual, the recent request (or should I say ‘demand’?) by the MIC for more Chinese schools under the 9^th Malaysia Plan (9MP) has triggered objections from several top leaders of umno. Among them were Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam (remember the peeping tom squad? well, he’s one of them). I’m not against him or anything but there are certain issues that I don’t agree with. Well I’m sure his statement represents his party and the members as a whole. I’m a member (not that I want to but I was naïve then) but again, I’m not with him. Let me put this straight. If something has become a necessity, why the need to constrain? I mean, the number of students would surely increase annually and eventually the need to cater them will arise especially in the urban area. By then, it would be the ruling’s government obligation to provide the facilities.

From a layman’s view, these objections come from those who wants to be the champions of Malay cause. The champions who think and hope that the average people would share the same sentiment. But did they asked or checked with the grassroots before they come out with whatever they come out with? Or was it because the position they hold that had made them to emerge as the heroes of their people?

To say that the existence of more of these vernacular schools would result in dual education system shouldn’t arise at all as these schools have already exist and this has been the practise all this while. If they were to say that by increasing the number of these schools would outnumbered the national schools (read as Malay school), well then build more of this national type schools! Keep racing with each other and let the people suffer! We wouldn’t be spoilt with choices either.

What happened to the ‘education for all and equal distribution of wealth’ preached in the last general election? I’m sure if such issue is continued to be sensationalised by the so-called people’s representatives, I’m not afraid to say the next general election will see a drop in the number of BN supporters(read as MIC supporters) or, the emerge of a new government. I mean, with all the increased prices of petrol, diesel and toll and this, who'd want this kind of government?