Vernacular Schools And Being Less Malaysian

By Josh Hong in Malaysiakini

Regarded as 'less Malaysian'

Then again I must say among the non-Malays, those who have gone to a Chinese or a Tamil school are often regarded as 'less Malaysian' for the simplistic and erroneous reason that these schools 'reinforce the racial divide'.

In other words, a Malaysian who has gone to a vernacular or an independent Chinese school is required to work doubly or even triply hard to prove his/her 'Malaysian credentials', although many of them have contributed no less than any other Malaysians even in terms of paying taxes.

Paradoxically, for all their pretense to safeguard national culture and language, neither Najib Abdul Razak nor Hishammuddin Hussein were educated locally, and I am certain they don't send their children to a national school either. So why is Muhyddin not questioning the loyalty of his cabinet colleagues to the country?

If Umno and other BN parties are so obsessed with national education, perhaps they should pass a law that all state assemblypersons, parliamentarians and cabinet ministers - as well as heads of government-linked companies (GLCs) - must have attended a national school. But they will not do so because the first to resign would be Najib and Hishammuddin!