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Zainuddin Maidin should be sacked and not promoted as Deputy Information Minister for the dishonest, tendentious, vicious and dangerously divisive three-part propaganda feature “Bahaya Cauvnisme” camouflaged as prime-time TV news

Speech
- DAP forum on the “The 2:4:3 formula to use English to teach mathematics and science in Std. One in Chinese primary schools”
by Lim Kit Siang

(Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday):  Malaysia is presently in the world of political topsy-turvydom – where black becomes white, lies camouflage as truth, the voice of the people suppressed  and history is deliberately distorted. 

Before the start of tonight’s forum, we had a video showing of  the three-part presentation of the unfair, biased, tendentious and malicious propaganda feature “Bahaya Cauvinism” which was telecast by RTM  over the various language television news in the past three nights camouflaged as prime-time news – to falsely paint the DAP and Dong Jiao Zong as anti-Malay, anti-national and unpatriotic.

 

The three-part propaganda feature camouflaged as prime-time TV news was produced because of the controversy over the Barisan Nasional “2:4:3” formula to use of English to teach mathematics and science in Std. One in Chinese primary schools, but what were the visual clips and image we see in the propaganda feature?  We saw clips of  Chin Peng, the leader of  the Communist Party of Malaya in the Baling talks with Tunku Abdul Rahman, May 13 riots and the Al Maunah arms heist and murders.

 

What has the “2:4:3” formula and the issue of the use of English to teach mathematics and science in Std. One in primary schools got to do with Chin Peng, the Communist Party of Malaya,  May 13 riots and the Al-Maunah arms heists and murders?  The motive of the of the propaganda feature “Bahaya Cauvinisme” is base, dishonourable and patently against Malaysian  national unity and detrimental to the national  interest.

 

I was outraged when I heard the news that in  the mini-Cabinet changes announced this evening, Zainuddin Maidin has  been promoted as Deputy Information Minister, as  he should be sacked Parliamentary Secretary to the Information Ministry instead of being rewarded for master-minding such  dishonest, tendentious, vicious and dangerously divisive propaganda fare over public television camouflaged as prime-time news  such as the three-part  “Bahaya Cauvnisme” – particularly in the holy month of Ramadan.

 

But this is not the only instance of  political topsy-turvydom in Malaysian politics and public life.  There is in fact a long catalogue of them in recent times, such as:

 

  • Barisan Nasional leaders claim endlessly that the issue of the use of English to teach mathematics and science is an education issue and should not be politicized,  but they are the very persons who have fully politicized it, with the final decision taken by the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council refusing to explain and unable to expound the educational soundness of the “2:4:3” proposal to use English to teach mathematics and science in Std. One in Chinese primary schools. 

  • We read in today’s press of the warning by a senior UMNO Cabinet Minister to the Chinese educationist groups “not to go overboard” in their opposition to the use of English to teach mathematics and science for Std. One, threatening the use of the Internal Security Act, but who was responsible for the UMNO Youth Rally in October 1987 which, according to the 1988 Government White Paper on the Operation Lalang arrests, carried banners with the words “SOAK IT (KRIS) WITH CHINESE BLOOD”?   

  • Barisan Nasional leaders warned that  the Sedition Act would be used against those who incite disaffection,  but they are the very ones who blatantly  commit sedition and violate the Sedition Act, as in the case of the UMNO Youth Education Bureau Chairman Dr. Adham Baba, who seems to enjoy immunity from the Sedition Act when he reiterated today that he would not withdraw his  public call for the closure of Chinese primary schools when in 1971, Utusan Melayu was found guilty of sedition for an editorial sub-heading, “Hapuskan Sekolah-Sekolah Beraliran Tamil atau China di Negeri ini”.  The High Court in 1971 dismissed the appeal of Utusan Melayu and upheld its conviction under the Sedition Act for questioning the sensitive and entrenched constitutional provision of Article 152(1)(a) that “no person shall be prohibited or prevented from using (otherwise than for official purposes), or from teaching or learning, any other language”. 

  • Those who pontificate the most about national unity and national interests are the very  ones who are the most narrow-minded and reckless in their disregard of these objectives, such as Mingguan Malaysia.  In its “Bisik-Bisk Mingguan – Awang Sulung”  last Sunday, (17th November 2002), where Awang wrote:

“Jika dilihat sejarah perjuangan Dong Jiao Zong, kumpulan ini seolah-olah mahu memberitahu bahawa mereka tidak mahu menjadi Cina Malaysia, sebaliknya mereka mahu terus kekal menjadi Cina dari China.”

 

(This is a most offensive and  outrageous statement to every Malaysian Chinese as  the writer does not seem to know that Malaysia has achieved  independent nationhood  for close to half a century, and there is not a single person in the country, whether in Dong Jiao Zong or outside, who wants to be a “Chinese in China” and not a Chinese Malaysian.)

 

"Masyarakat Cina terutamanya Dong Jiao Zong sendiri sepatutnya bersyukur kerana kerajaan sehingga kini masih ‘memberi muka’ kepada mereka untuk mengekalkan system persekolahan masing-masing.

 

(Has Utusan forgotten that in 1971 it was found guilty of sedition for carrying the report calling for the closure of Chinese and Tamil primary schools?)

 

“Bagi Awang, Malaysia tidak memerlukan lagi pertubuhan seperti Dong Jiao Zong. Malah, Malaysia juga tidak sepatutnya ada lagi pertubuhan yang kerjanya semata-mata memperjuangkan kepentingan satu kaum sahaja.”

 

(Then the first organization Awang should call for abolition is none other than UMNO – and he was being illogical when he later wrote that it would be all right for political parties to be organized on a communal basis but not for non-political organizations.) 

 

DAP calls on the Cabinet tomorrow or the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad  to take four important decisions in connection with the controversy over the use of English to teach mathematics and science in Std. One in primary schools in the best educational interests of the next generation of students, the international competitiveness of the country as well as to uphold democracy and respect human rights: 

  • Clear and unequivocal stand that  UMNO Youth Education Bureau Chairman, Dr. Adham Baba should be arrested and prosecuted under the Sedition Act for calling for the closure of Chinese primary schools to uphold the rule of law; 

  • Direct RTM to give the DAP and Dong Jiao Zong the right to reply on  public television to the unfair, tendentious and malicious propaganda feature “Bahaya Cauvinisme” by broadcasting our own feature in response;  

  • Re-open and welcome  nation-wide comprehensive discussion and debate on the use of English to  teach mathematics and science in Std. One in primary schools by fully recognizing that there is unanimous agreement on the urgent need to raise English proficiency and even mastery of the global language and that the difference of opinion is over the best and most effective way to achieve this objective; and  

  • End all threats of the use of ISA and Sedition Act to silence a healthy, vibrant and lively national debate as to how best to ensure the achievement of Formula 1-2-3 in the national education system, namely to firstly, enhance English proficiency, secondly maintain traditional high standards of mathematics and science in Chinese primary schools or raise them in national and Tamil primary schools; and thirdly  to preserve proficiency in  the mother-tongues.

(19/11/2002)

* Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman