An excerpt of a recent discussion that took place in the Dewan Rakyat regarding vernacular schools in Malaysia has gone viral on social media, leaving many perplexed as to the accusations made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Temerloh, Puan Hajah Salamiah binti Mohd Nor.
In the video, edited and shared by digital creator Jason Yew on X (formerly Twitter), Salamiah sought clarification from Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek about vernacular schools after expressing her discomfort about the existence of such schools.
Temerloh MP is “uncomfortable” about vernacular schools but sends her child to one
Temerloh MP, Puan Hajah Salamiah binti Mohd Nor
The Temerloh MP asserted,
“I’m seeking clarification regarding vernacular schools. I’m sorry to say, because, we see that we’re living in one country but we have different languages and syllabuses. I support the Chinese language as a language that you can learn in school, Tamil too, can be taught in Sekolah Kebangsaan (National Schools).”
“Even my child is studying at a Chinese school, I’m not mad about this. But I’m not comfortable when we are in the same country, we use different languages. Science is being taught in Chinese, Tamil and so on. I want Bahasa Melayu to be the main language and medium.”
“Extreme accusations without any facts”
Afterwards, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek responded to Salamiah’s statement, asserting that the Temerloh MP has a grave misunderstanding of vernacular schools.
Fadhlina clarified that vernacular schools are schools that have been recognised by the Education Act. She added that one of the main reasons behind vernacular schools is that Malaysians’ mother tongue could be safeguarded.
Education Minister, Fadhlina Sidek
The Education Minister stressed,
“There are zero issues about vernacular schools following a different syllabus because they’re still using the same syllabus. Syllabus from the Education Ministry, no such thing as a different syllabus.”
“That’s why I said this sort of extreme accusation shouldn’t be made in the Dewan Rakyat without any facts. So, the same syllabus, meant to safeguard the mother tongue of Malaysians, the Education Act recognised these schools and the recent court ruling also allowed for vernacular schools.”
You can watch the full video here:
“Tanggapan Temerloh ini sangat dahsyat” – @FadhlinaSiddiq
Temerloh tidak selesa dengan sekolah vernakular guna bahasa lain tapi Temerloh juga yang hantar anak ke Sekolah Cina pic.twitter.com/MoXSN4mM4O
— Jason Yew (@jasonyew) March 13, 2024
Malaysians call out the PAS MP
In the replies to the X post, many Malaysians call out the Temerloh MP for the statement, especially since she herself sends her child to a vernacular school.
One commenter said that what makes the statement even worse is that the Temerloh MP is a former teacher and she should’ve known better, especially regarding the syllabus being used at the Chinese school that she sent her child to.
Meanwhile, another commenter echoed the same sentiment, questioning why the PAS MP wasn’t bothered to know what her child was learning at school to the point that she didn’t know how vernacular schools work.
Besides that, the video was also reposted by X user @SyedAkramin, who said that he’s confused as to why the Temerloh MP was confused that they use Chinese language at Chinese vernacular schools despite sending her child to one.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Standard 1 Chinese Student Comforts Malay Student by Holding Hands on First Day at Kajang School
