Both claims that new Chinese and Tamil primary schools will still be built despite the announcement by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar’s in Parliament on 20.9.2006, that not a single new Chinese or Tamil primary schools will be built under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP). Such politics of denial is doing a great disservice for mother-tongue education. Instead of focusing attention on how to get the government to reverse its position, MCA and MIC is effectively indicating that there is no need to worry and do anything as new Tamil and Chinese primary schools will still be built.

Are both Ka Ting and Samy making a serious allegation that Noh Omar lied and his announcement in Parliament does not mean anything? In that case, only when Education Minister Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn announces how many of the 180 new primary schools will be Chinese and Tamil schools, will people believe that Noh Omar is lying. For lying, Noh Omar should also be cited for contempt and referred to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for misleading Parliament. Failure to do so would show that it is not Noh Omar that is lying but both Ka Ting and Samy Vellu.

Collective responsibility has pronounced Ka Ting and Samy guilty as Ministers for supporting and approving the 9MP with no new Chinese and Tamil primary schools built. Samy and Ka Ting have tried to explain their support for this injustice in the 9MP by saying that the 9MP has just commenced and there is still sufficient time for change under BN’s consultative spirit.

How can Ka Ting and Samy turn around and be so dishonest and thick skinned to say that there is still sufficient time for the 9MP to build new Tamil and Chinese primary schools when the decision not to do so has already been made? This perverse logic is just like supporting the decision of a guilty death sentence not because the person is guilty but because we can still reverse the decision later.

The demand for new Chinese and Tamil primary schools is not based on politics or race but on educational needs. Even the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had promised on 27.4.2006 that building Chinese primary schools shall be based on needs. Once again the Prime Minister has broken his promise.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that Malaysia would not enjoy the prosperity it achieved now were it not for the tax payments and contributions of the Chinese community. Is this the reward for all the hard work, sacrifices and contributions that the Chinese community that the BN government refuses to allocate even a small part of their tax payments to building Chinese primary schools urgently needed in densely populated areas such as KL, Selangor, Penang and Johor Baru?

BN’s consultative spirit is supposed to uphold the truth for the benefit of the community and not defy their wishes. To redeem his mistake, Ong Ka Ting should press the Cabinet at its meeting tomorrow that BN’s consultative spirit requires the BN government to immediately repudiate Noh Omar and reverse its position not to build a single new Chinese or Tamil primary schools amongst the 180 new primary schools under the 9MP. The seriousness of this issue requires the DAP to hold the emergency CWC meeting tomorrow night to discuss how to articulate the aspirations of the non-Malay community for more new Chinese and Tamil primary schools.

Education Minister Datuk Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn may have got some advice from some MCA or Gerakan leader in rebutting Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew by declaring that the Chinese in Malaysia are not marginalized. Hishamuddin is clearly talking only to himself or to the MCA, Gerakan and SUPP Ministers and wakil rakyats who benefited from their government positions as such views are not shared by the Chinese community.

If Hishamuddin wants to use education to rebut Lee Kuan Yew then he should support the building of 134 new Chinese primary schools to prove that Chinese education in Malaysia is not marginalized. According to Dong Jiao Zong, based on needs 134 new primary Chinese schools and 836 acres of land are required.

From 1970 to 2006, it is estimated that the country saw an increase of 2,900 national schools whilst 58 Chinese schools and 134 Tamil schools were closed down. 58 Chinese primary schools were closed down during the last 36 years or a reduction of 4.3% from 1,346 in 1970 to 1288 schools in 2006. However during the same period, the number of students in Chinese primary schools increased by 45% or 196,443 students from 439,681 in 1970 to 636,124 students in 2006.

This is ridiculous and blatant discrimination or marginalization of Chinese primary schools. Nowhere in the world except Malaysia, would the number of schools reduce by 4.3% even though the number of students have increased by 45%,

134 Tamil primary schools were closed down during the last 36 years or a reduction of 20% from  657 in 1970 to 523 schools in 2006. However during the same period, the number of students in Tamil primary schools increased by 21% or 20,864 students from 79,278 in 1970 to 100,142 students in 2006. Again only in Malaysia would the number of students increase by 21% but the number of schools reduce by 20%.

From 1999 to 2006 the number of new Chinese primary schools increased by 5. DJZ estimated that based on approval of an extra 5 new Chinese primary schools for every 7 years, it  will take 188 years, or 47 elections, before the 134 schools will be completed. Now even that small target of 5 new Chinese primary schools every 7 years is impossible with Noh Omar’s announcement that not a single new Chinese or Tamil primary school will be built. (see table below)

For the 9MP not to build new Chinese primary schools is unacceptable and irresponsible. These are the additional issues on the bleak prospects of Chinese education that will be highlighted in the DAP Forum on Chinese education at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on Thursday night 7.30 pm 28.9.2006 entitled, “Hishamuddin Vs Ong Tee Keat: Chinese Education in Crisis”.

Amongst the speakers are Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall President Datuk Bong Hon Liang, Federation of Chinese Assembly Hall Vice-Chair Chew Se Yang, DAP Education Bureau chair and MP for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng. The event will be chaired by Dr Oh Ti San. Entrance is free and all concerned about the future of Chinese education and how to press the government to build new Chinese primary schools are requested to attend.