For the very first time in 58 years of nation building, Chinese vernacular schools faced the imminent threat of being abolished as BN abandoned the consensus principle and embrace the “agreed to disagree” principle which means all the other 12 BN component parties have to bow to the demands and decisions from UMNO.
MCA and Gerakan ministers must take full responsibility for having “agreed to disagree” the 916 red shirt rally. This has set a dangerous precedent for UMNO to bulldoze any decision which is opposed by all the other 12 BN component parties.
Cabinet collective responsibility is a constitutional convention in governments using the Westminster System. Therefore MCA and Gerakan ministers cannot shirk from their responsibilities for having “agreed to disagree” the 916 red shirt rally as they are part of the cabinet that made a collective decision to approve the 916 racial demonstration.
MCA president Liow Tiong Lai and Gerakan President Mah Siew Keong must also bear full responsibility for the 916 racial demonstration has spun into an attack against vernacular schools which is a right safeguarded under the federal constitution.
The banner of “Abolish Chinese Vernacular Schools” which was displayed in the 916 Red Shirt Rally reflected the voice of UMNO grassroots and delegates. All these while, there were opinions and voices from within UMNO to abolish Chinese vernacular schools and implement a single-stream education system.
Last year, Petaling Jaya Utara Umno division deputy chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad proposed that UMNO debates the abolishment of Chinese Vernacular schools in its annual general assembly. It is only a matter of time when the opinions and voices from within UMNO grassroots will be too big for UMNO leaders to ignore.
Come that day, will MCA and Gerakan again “agreed to disagree” with the abolishment of vernacular schools?
I call on Liow Tiong Lai and Mah Siew Keong to immediately right the wrong and tell Najib there will be not be any more compromising in future issues and Barisan Nasional needs to revert to the consensus princicple instead of the “agreed to disagree” principle which will put Malaysia Agreement Principle and the Merdeka Social Contract under threat.