All eyes on DPM's reax to Indian-dog Chinese-go-home principal

All eyes on DPM's reax to Indian-dog Chinese-go-home principal

Malaysia Chronicle

Amid deafening silence from Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, calls are growing for the BN government to sack with immediate effect a Johor school principal for making racist remarks insulting to the Chinese and Indian communities.

“The severest disciplinary action must be taken against Siti Inshah, who is clearly unfit to be in the education service of a multi-racial society like Malaysia, let alone be a school principal,” DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in a statement.

“It is going against the very precepts of the 1Malaysia policy enunciated by Prime Minister Najib Razak since April last year.”

He was referring to Hajah Siti Inshah binti Mansor, the principal of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra in Kulai. At her school's Merdeka celebrations last week, she had said in a speech:

“Pelajar-pelajar Cina tidak diperlukan dan boleh balik ke China ataupun Sekolah Foon Yew. Bagi pelajar India, tali sembahyang yang diikat di pergelangan tangan dan leher pelajar nampak seakan anjing dan hanya anjing akan mengikat seperti itu.”

“Chinese students are not needed and can go back to China or Foon Yew School. As for the Indian students, the prayer strings that they wear around their wrists and necks make them look like dogs and only dogs are chained up like that.”

Racism has taken root in Malaysian society

But while it sounds incredible that such unadulterated and venomous racism can still exist in the higher levels of Malaysia’s education system, growing polarization has become a fact of everyday life despite 53 years of independence from British rule.

Pundits say the divide is deliberate and this is why feelings of racism amongst the Malays in particular has been escalating rather than declining. They point to the active programs carried out by the BN government’s national civics bureau BTN that help to create feelings of hatred towards the other races.

Sabre-rattling by Malay-ultra rights groups like Perkasa have of late also added the to the racial war as ruling party Umno tries to rally communal support ahead of looming national elections. Most of Perkasa's members are from Umno and its patron is former Umno president and prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

“She must be punished immediately. Her comments are so offensive that to condemn is a waste of time. Just sack her. She is a reflection of how badly managed Malaysia is,” PKR MP for Bagan Serai N Gobalakrishan told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I would like to ask where is PM Najib and DPM Muhyiddin on this. Both are keeping quiet on an issue which they should act immediately without having to be prompted by the people. As for Muyhyiddin, he is also Education Minister. Why has he been so busy scolding the MCA for stepping on the Malays, what has he got to say now? And Johor is his home state. Is this also how he feels?”