Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has hit out at Chinese education group Dong Zong, labelling them “racists”, amid continued objection to the introduction of khat in the Year 4 Bahasa Melayu syllabus for vernacular schools.
Speaking to reporters after an event in Langkawi, Mahathir questioned why Dong Zong did not complain when the previous administration approved the move in 2012.
“Now they want to complain, now we are free, last time if you complain you go in (thrown into jail).
“We have made a decision, if they don’t want to accept it, then don’t,” he said, in response to a question on Dong Zong’s petition against the introduction of khat.
The prime minister said apart from the Jawi calligraphy or khat issue, the group had also protested against the setting up of a Vision School (Sekolah Wawasan) for fear of Chinese students mixing with other races.
“Dong Zong is racist; we set up a campus in Vision School to put a Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK) Cina, an SJK Tamil and a ‘sekolah kebangsaan’ (national school) in one campus, but they were against it.
“They are afraid to let their children mix with Malays, so they did not want it. They are against all (implemented by the government), never agreed with anything,” he told reporters.
Dr Mahathir also said when the country wanted to achieve independence, the government introduced romanised writing to help non-Malays as it would be difficult for them to learn Jawi.
“Now the Malays have to learn Jawi to read the Quran instead. So, why are we fighting? We have given special consideration in the interest of non-Malays,” he said.
Asked whether policy matters should be discussed in the Cabinet before a decision is made, Dr Mahathir said almost all matters are discussed in the Cabinet but the contents of discussion are not made public.
Meanwhile, commenting on a call by Klang MP Charles Santiago who wanted the power of the prime minister in making decisions curbed, Dr Mahathir sarcastically said he will refer to Charles before making any decision.
“In future, when making a decision, I will ask Charles Santiago; if he did not agree I will not make the decision. Of course, I have to obtain his view; he is on the same level as me,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, Santiago had called for a review of the decision-making process by the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council in the wake of the government’s decision on khat as well as other issues, including controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik. He said there appeared to be too much power in the hands of the prime minister, which should instead be shared equally among the PH component parties.
Meanwhile, in response to Mahathir’s remarks, Ramkarpal Singh of the DAP said Mahathir’s characterisation of Dong Zong as racist would only distance Dong Zong from any compromise or negotiations.
“That there is dissatisfaction over the matter on the ground is a fact and cannot be taken lightly.
“If there are valid grounds to disagree with Dong Zong, they should be rationally argued and their concerns should not be dismissed on account of racism,” said the DAP lawmaker.
Ramkarpal also backed DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s intention to raise the matter in the cabinet again.
“It is hoped an amicable and acceptable solution is reached on the matter as soon as possible through proper dialogue and consultation,” Ramkarpal said.