Both new Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzhir Khalid and his deputy Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon must be rapped for reversing former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s education policies immediately upon assuming their new posts. First, Mahdzhir Khalid reiterated that the directive banning Penang schools from participating in the 58th Merdeka Day celebrations organised by the state government remains.
Madhzhir has continued the reversal of Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s education policies when he said that the Malaysian Examination Board (MEB) delayed the implementation of a mandatory pass in English in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) as the teachers and students were unprepared. The Education Ministry had postponed the mandatory pass in English in SPM, which was scheduled to be in force from next year, which was adopted by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in 2013. By de-emphasizing the importance of English, will only further erode the competitiveness of Malaysia’s economy in a global trading environment where English is the international lingua franca of commerce.
Playing political games should not sacrifice our economic competitiveness or innocent schoolchildren who had participated in the yearly Merdeka celebrations. The Penang Education Department had issued a circular directing all schools in the state to refrain from participating in any 58th Merdeka celebration or parade because the state government had selected our Merdeka theme of “Bersih, Cekap Amanah”(BCA).
This is clearly a reversal of Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s previous approach of allowing the Penang state government to choose their own Merdeka’s themes without any ban on school children participating being imposed. Penang had its own Merdeka theme since 2010(see table) without any problems.
TEMA HARI KEMERDEKAAN
| TAHUN | TEMA | |
| PULAU PINANG | PUSAT | |
| 2008 (51) | PERPADUAN TERAS KEJAYAAN | PERPADUAN TERAS KEJAYAAN |
| 2009 (52) | 1 MALAYSIA: RAKYAT DIDAHULUKAN PENCAPAIAN DIUTAMAKAN | 1 MALAYSIA: RAKYAT DIDAHULUKAN PENCAPAIAN DIUTAMAKAN |
| 2010 (53) | M E R D E K A | 1 MALAYSIA: MENJANA TRANSFORMASI |
| 2011 (54) | KERAJAAN BERJIWA RAKYAT MEMARTABATKAN RAKYAT | 1 MALAYSIA: TRANSFORMASI BERJAYA RAKYAT SEJAHTERA |
| 2012 (55) | BUDAYA BERSIH MERDEKAKAN RAKYAT | JANJI DITEPATI |
| 2013 (56) | NEGARAKU SELAMAT, BERSIH, HIJAU DAN SIHAT | NEGARAKU BERDAULAT TANAH TUMPAHNYA DARAHKU |
| 2014 (57) | BERSATU DAN MAJU | MALAYSIA: DISINI LAHIRNYA SEBUAH CINTA |
| 2015 (58) | BERSIH, CEKAP, AMANAH | # SEHATI SEJIWA |
Why was no ban imposed since 2010 but only now. This is politically motivated to sabotage Penang state government’s Merdeka celebrations. Clearly the Education Ministry is trying to link the word Bersih with the peaceful protests organised on 29-30 August to protest against corruption and the RM2.6 billion deposited in the Prime Minister’s personal account. This is an immature act of petty politics merely because the word “Bersih” in BCA is used. Is “Bersih” now a dirty, vulgar and obscene word that must also be declared illegal?
Mahdzhir Khalid said it was not appropriate in the interests of national unity, for the state government to have a different Merdeka Day theme than that decided by the federal government for the country and that the ban would only be lifted if the state government adopted the BN federal government’s theme of “Sehati sejiwa”(one heart, one soul). MCA President Liow Tiong Lai said that I had dishonoured Merdeka by choosing BCA whilst Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan even said that BCA was against national interests.
Such a ban is illogical, irrational and even irresponsible when the BCA theme originated from former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he first took office in 1981. BCA is even widely used in government letterheads as a reminder to be clean and not be corrupt. Perhaps that was why there was no RM2.6 billion donation deposited in Mahathir’s personal account. Is Mahdzhir and the Education Ministry now saying that Tun Dr Mahathir is anti-national?
The Federal government is unreasonable and bullying the Penang state government because of the Bersih rallies, by banning their own 1980s BN government’s theme of “Bersih, Cekap, Amanah” when there were no problems with the Penang state government choosing our own themes every year since 2010. In the process Penang school children are to be needlessly sacrificed and prevented from participating in the 58th Merdeka celebrations because of the dangerous words “Bersih, Cekap Amanah” that is now considered unfit for children.