MCA, PGRM, MIC, what say you, ah ? [ Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua]

18th May Malaysiaparty 's pick of to-day
(picked from Khoo Kay Peng 's blog)
at http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2009/05/1-sekolah-untuk-semua-another-racial.html

1 Sekolah Untuk Semua: Another Racial Bigot

I feel compelled to respond to an initiative by a group of 'pro-unity' bloggers to campaign for a common education system for all. The proponents are a group of Malay bloggers. I am not sure if they are really 'pro-unity' as claimed by Rocky Bru. We will talk about this in a while.

It is a good proposal to integrate our school systems. A common education system is a foundation of national unity if students of various ethnicity would be allowed to learn the language of their choice.

Education system in US, Belgium, France and other developed countries provide an opportunity for high school and undergraduates to pursue exchange programmes with various institutions from other countries. This is what globalisation of education is about.

Back to this Najib flavoured, 1Sekolah initiative, I have a creepy feeling reading the tagline of this campaign: Satu Sekolah untuk Satu Bahasa, Satu Bangsa, Satu Negara.

I have question for the proponents of this initiative, which bahasa (language)? These language purists are not consistent with their stand. In the age of globalisation, it is suicidal and stupid to suggest that Malaysian children should only be taught the mastery of a language.

Rockybru is trying to link this initiative to the Singaporean model. I don't have a problem with the Singaporean model which is merit-based and learning focused. If we can take out both politics and religion from the schools, a good integrated education system focusing on knowledge and skills acquisition would be proper for our country.

But Rockybru is definitely pushing his luck trying to equate 1Sekolah to the Singaporean system.

This campaign has started on the wrong footing: Blaming disunity on vernacular schools.

"Sekolah Vernakular (SJKC dan SJKT) adalah punca utama ketidakserasian dan ketegangan kaum di negara kita tercinta."

The proponents of 1Sekolah cannot even be truthful about the main problem of disunity and racial disharmony. Why blame the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools when it was obvious that some UMNO politicians had started the racial blame game? Did you hear any students or teachers from the vernacular schools doing the same? Why is Rockybru keeping his golden silence when a vernacular newspaper, Utusan Melayu, from his media group is keeping up with the tradition of racial flaming?

It is disappointing to see a group of 'pro-unity' bloggers parotting the same rhetoric to cause even more disunity.

Calling the vernacular schools as a cancer and a cause of our society's destruction is both shameful and dishonest. These schools had produced some of the finest leaders for the country. Many of MIC, MCA and UMNO leaders came from vernacular schools.

Yes, the definition of vernacular schools should include both Malay and religious schools too. I wonder why these 'pro-unity' bloggers had limited the term 'vernacular' to only both Chinese and Tamil schools. How can unity be achieved through this kind of stereotyping?

This campaign is politically driven and filled with inflamatory statements:

"Pengkajian semula sistem pelajaran negara ini haruslah dilakukan memandangkan fenomena perpecahan kaum yang semakin meruncing di masa kini. Gejala ini amatlah jelas sekali di alam siber dimana segelintir masyarakat kini mempamirkan sikap anti-negara yang semakin ketara dan berleluasa.

Jelas sekali, anasir-anasir ini tidak menghormati asas dan prinsip perlembagaan negara Malaysia, tiada rasa cinta kepada tanah air dan juga menonjolkan penulisan hasutan yang mencetuskan sentimen perkauman yang begitu ketara sekali. Secara lantangnya, puak ini mempertikaikan segala unsur yang melambangkan kedaulatan dan intipati negara kita tercinta. Kami menyeru agar gejala Sekolah Vernakular ini di hapuskan secara total."

Bloggers who are part of BUM 2009 should take note of their pro-tem president's endorsement of this type of campaign. The 1Sekolah proponents should just make their intention clear and stop using a scapegoat to drive through their threat and intention.

It is the bloggers who are critical of the UMNO leadership that you wanted to take on. Not the ignorant and naive primary school students who are still learning their ABC in the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

If it is the bloggers that you wanted to take on, we have a message for you too: Just Bring It On!

For goodness sake, stop flaming the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools. These schools are funded and kept running mostly with public's money and support.

I have a message for the blogging community. Lets start our own movement: a truly non-racial movement.

SAY NO TO RACISM!
Posted by Khoo Kay Peng on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 1:02 PM in his own blog