Joint Press Statement
by DAP Members of Parliament
on Thursday, 20 June 2002
issued at Parliament House, Kuala Lumpur
DAP MPs call for a national consensus to build a world-class education system to compete with the rest of the world and not treat education as a racial zero sum game
Yesterday, Parliament Speaker Tun Dr Mohd. Zahir Ismail allowed PAS Youth Leader and Opposition MP for Pokok Sena, Mahfuz Omar to move a "specific, public importance and urgent" motion to condemn the government's imposition of a 10 percent quota for the non-Malays to enter Mara Junior Science College and university matriculation courses.
Although the DAP is in the Opposition as PAS and Parti Keadilan Nasional, we do not share their views in this issue.
DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka was given the mandate to represent the DAP in the debate. However, Deputy Speaker Datuk Lim See Ching had not allowed Kerk to speak during the one-hour debate on the motion. Be this as it may, Kerk managed to state that the DAP opposed the motion.
Therefore we want to refute the irresponsible claim by reporter Susan Loone in the Malaysiakini report on the proceeding yesterday that "DAP MPs chose to remain silent" despite the party supporting the move to open up places to non-Malays in Mara Junior Science College and matriculation courses.
We want to reiterate the DAP's stand that in the era of globalisation and ICT, Malaysia's place in the international economy will be decided not by the competition between bumiputras and non-bumiputras but by Malaysia's ability to compete with the rest of the world.
This is why education and in particular higher education must not be seen as a zero sum game as to which race wins but a win-win game for all Malaysians regardless of race and the nation to win together.
For this reason, we welcome the move to open up places to non-Malays in Mara Junior Science College and university matriculation courses, as it is a move in the right direction in promoting national unity through the building of a world-class education system. However, much more need to be done to change our mindset that education should not become a racial contest of all Malaysians.
On the other hand, we are critical of any move by the government like the unfair and unprofessional merit-based university selection system, which goes against the very goal to create a world class education system which can jeopardize Malaysia's international competitiveness and prosperity in the era of globalisation, liberalization and ICT.
We view with grave concern that many educational reforms to ensure that Malaysia build a world class education system have not been given serious attention they deserve because of the lack of political will, as education is strewn with political and racial land mines.
Therefore we call for a national consensus to build a world-class education system and promote national unity and not treat education as a racial and political zero sum game.