DAP questions DPM’s ( 2Malaysia ) reluctance to slam racist remarks

By Yow Hong Chieh

August 21, 2010

Tony Pua questions Muhyidin's reluctance to condemn racist remarks uttered by school principals — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, August 21 — The DAP questioned today Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s reluctance to condemn racist remarks uttered by a school principal, adding an investigating task force would just complicate a straightforward case.

Its national publicity secretary Tony Pua also called the education minister’s decision to set up a task force to investigate Johor school principal Siti Inshah Mansor’s allegedly racist remarks “an afterthought”.

“The question is, why is he, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, so reluctant to condemn such remarks and warn others in the Education Ministry from ever doing the same or face the harshest of consequences?

“His action, or in this case, inaction, has further damaged the “1 Malaysia” concept proposed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to promote national unity,” Pua said in a statement.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said it would have been simple for Muhyiddin to determine if Siti Inshah had uttered racist words given the tens of witnesses present and the police report filed after the fact, and accused the Umno deputy president of complicating the probe.

Pua said that, while it was fair for the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra principal to receive a thorough investigation, the emphasis by Muhyiddin that the probe will involve several agencies was a “clear attempt” to unnecessarily prolong the investigation.

“[This] despite the obvious fact that Siti Inshah has apologised to the students for the offence,” he said.

Muhyiddin yesterday directed Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom to set up a committee to investigate the matter. Alimuddin had earlier said it was a misunderstanding that had been resolved in a failed effort to placate angry parents.

The police are currently investigating the case under section 504 of the Penal Code for provocation which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, a fine or both.

A total of 20 complaints have been lodged with the authorities.

Sit Inshah had reportedly made the derogatory remarks during the launch of the school’s Merdeka celebrations earlier this week.

“Chinese students are not needed here and can return to China or Foon Yew schools. For the Indian students, the prayer string tied around their neck and wrist makes them look like dogs because only dogs are tied like that,” Siti Inshah was quoted as saying in at least one police report.

Pua added that it was telling that Muhyiddin’s investigative task force had not been set a deadline to present its findings when a week would have been enough to determine the outcome.

He said this was proof that the Education Ministry was not serious about getting to the bottom of the issue quickly, and claimed the task force was just a way to placate angry parents and upset Malaysians while the ministry buys time for itself to resolve the issue after the first attempt backfired.

However, he said the “ridiculous” precedent of setting up a high-level task force to investigate such allegations may create a “tidal wave” of such task forces now that the same offence was reported to have been committed by a principal in Kedah.

A Kedah school head was yesterday accused of racism for allegedly telling her Chinese pupils to “return to China”.

The Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Selambau headmistress was said to have accused the Chinese pupils of being insensitive towards their Muslim peers by eating in the school compound during the fasting month of Ramadan last Friday, and ordered them to return to China if they could not respect the culture of other races.

“Will the Education Minister announce another taskforce to investigate these claims? Will more taskforces be set up as more such offences get reported?” Pua asked.

He also called on Muhyiddin to demonstrate his commitment to 1 Malaysia by condemning racist remarks outright and warning all teachers and principals that those found guilty of uttering them will be punished most severely, including being sacked from their job.

“If Tan Sri Muhyiddin still refuses to take quick action on the above, then it is imperative for the Prime Minister himself to take all necessary steps to hold together his fragile ‘1 Malaysia’ brainchild, if the concept still means anything to him,” he said.