Malaysians regardless of race or religion must vote in 12th general election to send a loud and clear message against the alarming rise of Little Napoleons and Little Mullah Napoleons (LMN) who are totally insensitive that Malaysia is a plural society and who are more powerful than Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

In the past four years of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Islam Hadhari, there have been a deluge of insensitive occurrences totally heedless of Malaysia’s boast to the world of the country as “Truly Asia” where all races, languages, cultures and religions can flower with freedom and be a model to a conflict-ridden world.

This is illustrated not only by a spate of body-snatchings, bible-banning, temple demolition, stoppage of construction of world’s tallest Mazu statue in Kudat, Sabah, but also by very polarizing incidents created by Little Napoleons and Little Mullah Napoleons (LMNs) in schools, universities and the public service.

I will give the latest incident from a complaint which I have just received by a liberal and broad-minded Malay woman:

I am representing the Indian parents from SK Sungai Puyu, Butterworth. Being a true Malaysian I don’t differentiate anybody based on their religion, race or culture.

This school has been conducting extra classes absolutely free of charge to all UPSR students since many-many years ago. The extra classes were carried out voluntary without any payments mostly by Indian teachers who were dedicated lots and realise that their students especially the Malay students need extra attention after school hours and also on Saturdays, They even teach during school holidays.

But recently the extra class for UPSR has been politicised and the government started to give payments to all teacher who teach those classes BUT there is a condition. The teacher who is to be paid must be MALAY and the extra classes are open ONLY for the MALAY students.

What once use to be something very much disliked by the Malay teachers because they have to stay back or come on Saturdays is very much sought after by these very same teachers because now they are paid on hourly basis. They get RM40 for one day’s lesson yet their teaching and dedication during those extra classes is very much questionable because they never liked it in the first place and some of them are just plain lazy and never even fulfill the minimum teaching requirement.

I came to know that this programme is being carried out not only in this school but in many Sekolah Kebangsaan schools throughout Penang. In extreme cases where they can’t find a MALAY teacher to teach English Language in certain schools the schools will secretly ask an Indian teacher to teach but claims are made under a MALAY teachers name as to follow the strict rules imposed by JPN. (Ali Baba)

What disheartened the Indian parents in SK Sungai Puyu is the marginalisation of their children in this school. The “Program Didik Cemerlang Akademik” or PDCA (last year known as JKP) has totally replaced the normal extra class which use to be carried out by volunteer teacher of the school and the Indian children are NOT included in it at all now. They are treated as second class citizen in a Malaysian school.

To make things worst during the Pendidikan Moral lesson they are not taught at all and are just isolated in a classroom by their Pendidikan Moral teachers whereas for the Malay student they have all sort of religious activities even during the non Agama teaching time and this usually rob of the precious time for most of other important subjects like English language and Mathematics.

I am attaching a letter* from the school headmaster which is self explanatory of the marginalisation of the Indian students. This letter was given only to the “Waris BUKAN Bumiputera”. The reason which prompted me to write to you is when my friend’s daughter innocently asked her father after reading the letter about the REASON why the Malay students don’t have to pay and NON MALAYS must pay for it and why it is not compulsory for the non Malay. Tears dropped from my eyes after hearing that because these are the future generation which we are moulding from now to be true Malaysian.

I’ll stop here now for the time being. There are actually many more such issues where Indians are being marginalised in this school but I’ll stick to one first.”

The complainant in her letter said that what the Indian parents is clarification from the Education Mister once and for all because the Indian parents have decided that they are NOT paying the money as a matter of principle and they want their children included in the extra class without any conditions whatsoever and NOT to separate them from Malay students.
All this while the worksheets were photostated and given free of charge to all students BUT now ONLY the INDIANS have to pay for it and that also if they want to join the class which is NOT compulsory for them. They are asked to pay just because some parents requested to include the Indians as well.

I call on Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who should be the “caretaker” Education Minister in an hour’s time when the Prime Minister announces the dissolution of Parliament, what he is doing to end this injustice.

(Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang at DAP PJ Hqrs on Wednesday, 13th February 2008 at 11.30 am – an hour before announcement of dissolution of Parliament)