(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): The Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mustapa Mohamed was reported as saying in the Sun front page yesterday that the Ethnic Relations Guidebook is under “thorough and careful review” by the Ministry.

Datuk Mustapa also said that they will not rush it, and that they will take their time perusing the contents of the guidebook.

One main question that the Minister has to answer is that whether the subject will still be taught in local universities pending on the study results of a panel of experts chaired by the Higher Educational Institution Management Department Director-General Prof. Datuk Hassan Said.

And if the answer is ‘yes’, and since the original guidebook is already withdrawn, it will leave with us a situation that the teaching of the subject, at least in UPM, will be a guideless subject, moreover when the Minister himself admitted that his Ministry is taking time to vet it.

If this is the situation, will not it be appropriate to also suspend the subject for the time being, pending on a full and comprehensive studies completed by the review panel chaired by the Higher Educational Institution Management Department Director-General Prof. Datuk Hassan Said?

Unless the Ministry is able to come out in time with a complete review of the subject for all public universities to adopt for teaching in this semester, otherwise the subject shall also be suspended temporarily pending on the study results.

Mustapa must be reminded that during the emergency motion tabled by DAPSY MP for Bandar Kuching YB Chong Chieng Jen, this is the last question that he has avoided to answer. Although he has later clarified that the subject will still be taught and that it is the content of the guidebook to be reviewed and rectified, it is definitely the time for him to come clear before he is questioned again on the matter in the next Parliamentary Seating.

(29/07/2006)