On 19 April, the arrival of a Barisan Nasional (BN) man at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Rimau on its sports day caused uproar among the schoolchildren’s parents. That’s because the man was allegedly campaigning and asking the parents to vote for BN. Is campaigning on school grounds even allowed?
According to Malaysiakini, the man in question is Gerakan’s Jordan Tiew Hock Huat who dressed up in the party’s colours and was accompanied by a woman wearing a BN outfit as well.
Source: Malaysiakini
A witness known as Feizrul Nor told the online news portal that at first glance, he thought Tiew was a representative from the parent-teacher association as he was giving a speech.
However, Tiew then allegedly went around shaking hands with several parents before distributing his name cards bearing the BN logo on them.
“I also heard Tiew explicitly asking parents to vote for BN,” Feizrul said.
Source: Malaysiakini
Another resident named Steve Low, also called up Malaysiakini to complain and said that it was inappropriate to hand out campaign materials in school. “He should be setting a good example for children by following the rules,” Steve said.
Responding to this issue, headmistress Fauzanah Sharif said that Tiew wasn’t campaigning at the school.
“He was invited to our school to deliver the opening speech. He did not come to our school to campaign. In fact, there was no political rhetoric in his speech,” the headmistress said.
Hmm…
When contacted by Malaysiakini, Tiew denied that he was there to campaign for BN and said that he was invited to the school due to his position as BN’s coordinator for the Kota Kemuning constituency.
Source: Malaysiakini
“I did not campaign. I was invited only to launch and deliver an opening speech for the sports day. We have visited many schools before and we are aware of the rules,” he said.
Well, what do you think of this issue? Is it just a another ‘misunderstanding’? Tell us what you think in the comment section!
Also read: Private School Gets Warning Letter From Johor Education Dept for Renting Hall to DAP
