Racial remarks: Headmistress must be sacked


By P Ramakrishnan | Aliran

It is difficult to reconcile how a principal of a secondary school could be so insensitive and dumb as to utter derogatory words to denigrate students under her care. She had shown utter contempt to the Chinese and Indians in this country.

It is unbelievable that she could have said, “Chinese students…can return to China.”  It is amazing that she could have likened the prayer strings worn by Indians to a dog leash.

It is difficult to believe that she is a teacher and an educator. With this warped and distorted view of the Chinese and Indians, what kind of values can she impart to her students under her care? What kind of character can she inculcate among her students? She comes across as subhuman.

How she got promoted is a mystery. How she got selected to be a teacher is a wonder. Unfortunately, there are many of her ilk in the Teaching Service doing immense damage to this nation. Two years ago, we had one dumb discipline teacher in Anderson School who ordered Hindu students to remove their religious wristband and shave off their moustache and beards, which they had allowed to grow ahead of fulfilling their vows during Thaipusam
We have this kind of people not only in schools –  but those higher up are no better. The Director General of Education Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom did not do justice to himself or to his position when he referred to the offending alleged remarks made by Siti Inshah Mansor of Sekolah Menengah Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra as “just a misunderstanding.”

It is extremely upsetting when he tries to trivialise a serious matter as trifle. Instead of viewing her remarks as something that can hurt the feelings and sensitivities of others to the extent of jeopardising our harmony and unity, he doesn’t seem capable of understanding what damage her remarks have caused to our frail unity. Her thoughtless, offending remarks have indeed further undermined the Prime Minister’s vision of 1Malaysia.

When so much damage had been done by this insensitive head, it is troubling that the PM and the Education Minister have not uttered a word to reprimand this head. They have a duty to land hard on those who threaten our harmony and create disunity among us. When they hold their silence, it can be construed as not viewing seriously what has happened. It is this attitude that is causing a lot of problems in this country.

In Aliran’s view, this head should not continue to remain in the Teaching Service. She does not have the aptitude to be a head; she doesn’t understand the cultures of the various communities; she does not have commom sense to discern what is right and wrong; she does not respect the rights of citizens of this country as evident when she stupidly told the Chinese students to return to China.

She should be either sacked or pensioned off. Keeping her in service will be viewed as condoning her conduct. Keeping her in service by transferring her to another school or department is not acceptable. This kind of action only encourages others to be bold in acting irresponsibly.

At times we wonder whether the government is truly interested in reining in these unscrupulous elements in positions of authority and weeding them out of the national life to preserve our harmony and unity. We have to ask this question simply because we have had so many instances of questionable characters disparaging the non-Malay communities without being properly disciplined.

The manner the instructor in the BTN had blamed and shamed the non-Malays as a group, the manner Datuk Nasir Safar from the Prime Minister’s Department had displayed his ignorance of our history by ridiculously claiming that the “Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese especially women came to sell their bodies” and got away scot-free without being severely punished – all of these have only encouraged others to go overboard with their insults.

Thinking Malaysians have a right to ask why the General Orders were not applied in these cases. Are they exempted from the provisions of the GO?

  1. #1 by k1980 on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 10:42 am

    The Chinese and Indian students of that school should ask their parents which party they voted for on March 8, 2008. If they had voted for BN, then they only have themselves to blame. It is similar to the Jews who helped Hitler to power, only to find themselves being roasted in his ovens.

  2. #2 by rahmanwang on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 10:49 am

    If the general consensus is to sack the headmistress, the the only thing logical to do is to reject BN for the coming election.
    BN are all made up of racial parties.UMNO so called Malays, MCA & MIC so called Chinese and Indians respectively and the other parties in Sabah & Sarawak. Seems like these BN parties are fighting for their people but in actual fact they are robbing their own kind. Bloodsuckers of the worst kind.

  3. #3 by cemerlang on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 11:35 am

    Since you are so bent on sacking her, ask yourself if she will learn anything from being a fried sotong. She will in her own ways make others disgusted with Chineses and Indians and non Malays. Siti Inshah is not the only one. There are others. But maybe in that situation and at that time, nobody reports them. Write down their names as evidences or else it is all assumption and fitnah. Good question. Bagaimanakah ? Apakah ? Siapakah ? Napakah ? Bilakah ? all these things happen. Blame yourselves first for allowing all these, for allowing an idiot gurubesar. If the gurubesar is an idiot, what do you think of others ? Punish her so that she learn. Not punish her and in the end make her worse. How old is she ? Take early retirement. Retire with honours when there is still time.

  4. #4 by Taxidriver on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 11:41 am

    NO, NO, NO. Please don’t sack the hatemistress. She is UMNO, her husband is UMNO, her children are UMNO, her parents are UMNO, her siblings are UMNO…….if you sack her, UMNO will lose many votes. Leave this matter to Moo Hee Din who has already told her to take a holiday with her family ( all expenses will be borne by MOE ). The teaching profession comes with a lot of pressure, that is why not many people want to become teachers hence, the shortage of teachers. I am sure she didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She is having a breakdown due to work pressure.

    Moo will come up with excuses something like the above to defend our poor hatemistress, ……bet, any takers??

  5. #5 by sheriff singh on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 12:04 pm

    There are plenty more of her type, male and female, in the schools and in the Education Department.

    Make her a martyr and you will have even more.

  6. #6 by dagen on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 12:29 pm

    Hellooo.
    Err aheem.
    Yooohooo.
    Cintanegara.
    Anybody home?
    Well since he is not here let me respond on his behalf again.
    But first, I dont eat rambutans.
    Now listen you busturds listen carefully. She has done no wrong. Muhideen said perkasa has a right to voice their views. Same thing here. She too has that right. This is a free country.

    Huh? Say wot? Din said mca must take care of other people’s sensitivities? Oh tu memang. Itu lain. Din was talking about umnoputras’ right to voice opinion bukan about mca’s right.

  7. #7 by JJx on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 12:29 pm

    The problem is not the headmistress. We are the problem because of our inability to see anything beyond race. Rocky bru got a point actually.

    The headmistress was wrong and should be punished. But on the same note, why were we not calling for the same punishment for Namewee when his rap song offended Islam, the national anthem and flag??

  8. #8 by k1980 on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 1:12 pm

    http://www.asiasentinel.com/images/stories/smoothgallery/JAN2008/aceh-canned-woman.jpg

    Not only sacked, but also denied her pension and then caned in public, as is being done in Aceh (photo above)

  9. #9 by baochingtian on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 1:59 pm

    So far I haven’t heard of rakyat come to her defense, only the moo moo. The gomen is not listening to the rakyat. Another task force needed to investigate. So police investigation is not good enuf for the dpm, eh? Keep on beating round the bush and wasting rakyat’s money! Let it be. will c u out come next ge.

  10. #10 by dawsheng on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 2:02 pm

    She had shown utter contempt to the Chinese and Indians in this country. – P. Ramakrishnan

    So what? Calling for her sacking can solved the problem? It demands nothing short of revenge. Sacked her and she’ll become a bigger racist. Why not make an attempt to understand why she uttered those words?

  11. #11 by dawsheng on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 2:05 pm

    I am sure P. Ramakrishnan don’t know what reconciliation means.

  12. #12 by boh-liao on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 2:50 pm

    Y Y Y ppl here still baying 4 blood? Want 2 squeeze blood out of stone aah?
    Education director-general oredi said it was just a misunderstanding — d allegedly offensive remarks by a Johor school principal
    Everything is OK, biasa 1, n d matter had been resolved, cool, baby, cool
    MOE DG got power 1, U know, n acted faster than polis who r still taking their own sweet time in investigating

  13. #13 by HJ Angus on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 3:05 pm

    If the racist remarks were made, she should be removed from the teaching profession and demoted to a desk job until the police work is completed.
    Let’s see how the AG handles this type of hot potato.
    After all, she could be just the product of the NEP system.
    http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-product-of-btn.html

  14. #14 by Dap man on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 3:38 pm

    1. I am positive she will NOT be sacked. At the most she will be transferred to another school or the to the education department and eventually promoted.

    2. Morever, this is not something new as teachers and headmasters all over the country has been calling the pendatangs names.

    3. Looks like there is an unwritten policy that Malays can demonize the non-Malays and protected by the government.

    Just see what they are doing to Lim Guan Eng in Penang. Even during the fasting month the munafiks are demonizing Lim with untruths and one of them is a Federal Minister.

  15. #15 by Cinapek on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 3:48 pm

    If it is true this woman had made those remarks, it is a manifestation of the racist tendencies in her and she must have displayed these racism in the past. Such behaviors do not develop overnight. Either no one has reported her or she has managed to keep them under control in the past and something or someone recently must have provoked her to show her true colours. Or is it because the BN Govt is allowing teachers to engage in politics now and she has decided to get a headstart to gain publicity and position herself to jumpstart her political career? Surely, being a principal and all, she is not that dumb not to realise the consequences of her actions? Heaven help us if she is because there must be something seriously wrong with our education system if such a person could have survived so long in the system without being detected. And not only that. She was promoted to the highest position in any school.

    The irony of it is she committed this shameful act in a school named after our first PM. How she has disgraced his legacy!!!

  16. #16 by on cheng on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 4:22 pm

    Yesterday, another school head in selambau, kedah made similar remark,
    Hei !! all those school heads with similar thinking, why not make an official demand (write official letters, post messages in all blogs. collect signatures etc) to Perkasa, DPM, PM, United Nations, China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc to send away all Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Bangla, Nepalese, etc in Malaysia accordingly

  17. #17 by on cheng on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 4:33 pm

    Also Send away all those originated from Middle East, Myanmar, philippines, France, Japan, USA, UK, Thailand, Pakistan, african countries etc, etc, Write officially your demand to heads of all those countries too!

  18. #18 by boh-liao on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 5:50 pm

    There must b a competition going on now amg school heads n teachers in d country 2 C who is best at uttering racist remarks 2 denigrate nonMalay students
    D champion will be crowned Wira Bangsa Melayu & Bintang Perkasa Melayu Jati, n presented with a keris, cash reward, transfer 2 a school near 2 home, n promotion
    Mayb even get appointed as special staff of BTN, 2 b tutelaged n mentored by d infamous Loctar Tee n charming ful of sai
    Of cos, d highest honor d champion will experience is 2 b presented 2 maha racist MMK n d chance 2 cium his hand, wooow
    Many school heads n teachers screamed excitedly “I want, I want” n d race is on, fast n furious

  19. #19 by dagen on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 7:42 pm

    Oh dear me. Another school head made racist remark against chinese kids in the school. Go back to china he said when he saw them eating in the school canteen. Respect the malays the demanded. Its fasting month.

    Boy every statement there expressed or implied was wrong except for the fasting month thingy.

    Clearly jib is not in the driver’s seat. Umno is in shambles. Muhideen is in a hurry to take over. Perkasa is barking away. Economy has gone cold and is almost stiff now. Corruption has gone out of control.

  20. #20 by HJ Angus on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 8:09 pm

    The canteen is the proper place to eat and those who are fasting should avoid it.
    It like Genting Casino. If you go to the resort for a family holiday, you cannot demand people stop going to the casino.
    Pupils should be allowed to remain in class during recess during the fasting month.

  21. #21 by cemerlang on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 8:26 pm

    Blessing in disguise. Love your enemies. India is the largest world’s democratic country. China has one of the best education systems. If you can go pass your hurts, then you see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow which appears after rain. We are not that different from countries where ninjas are not allowed. What India and China have, Malaysia does not. Stop making yourself out to be so great because you are making a big fool out of yourself and you should be very proud now because your name is in the Cabinet committee waiting for investigation, Puan Cik Siti Inshah, pengetua of Bapa Malaysia Secondary School, Kulai.

  22. #22 by negarawan on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 8:50 pm

    Oh well, Hishamuddin is going to invite both the Johor and Kedah principals out for lunch and then say that it was just a misunderstanding….

  23. #23 by Loh on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 10:39 pm

    ///It was reported that the principal had scolded the students for taking breakfast at the school compound, saying they were insensitive because Muslim students are fasting. At that time, the school canteen was closed.///

    The Headmaster of Bukit Selambau, Kedah who made those remarks must have considered fasting an arduous task and he considers himself suffering for following the religious teaching to fast, and so he considers other Muslims students were suffering for having to fast. It is only in that mindset would the Headmaster accuse the non-Muslims students for being insensitive to be eating at the time when Muslims students were fasting.

    A person who practices his religion should not be affected by others who practices their religion. The students who have no obligation to fast were only practicing their religion of not-fasting. Islam cannot be said to be superior to other religion. Within the same compound of the school, the students are free to practices what they believe in. Non-Muslims students did not make Muslims who fast suffer because when they had their breakfast at school, Muslims students having started their fasting earlier with a full stomach would not be induced to have yearning for food. In fact it was the training to feel what hunger means that gives rise to the value of fasting. Seeing non-Muslims eat during the fasting hours actually help Muslims students to achieve the objective of why they were obliged to fast. Obviously by say what he did, the headmaster could have regretted that he was obliged to fast. He is not fit to be a headmaster for harbouring that thought, and he is not even a true Muslim.

  24. #24 by HJ Angus on Friday, 20 August 2010 - 11:50 pm

    so why the canteen closed and not open during school hours?
    I am sure many children leave home on an empty stomach as some find it difficult to eat so early.
    The school should encourage pupils to eat breakfast as that helps to concentrate in class.
    Maybe this HM is concentrating on the wrong things…

  25. #25 by boh-liao on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 12:40 am

    These racist school heads n teachers shld visit d little red dot 2 C how Muslims there work during d fasting month, tak Malas n tak Manja
    n tak Minta nonMuslims not 2 eat
    In fact, they r now contributing 2 d ongoing Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

  26. #26 by baochingtian on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 1:10 am

    “Go back to China?”
    Helloooo, China has more muslims than this bolehland, but they never stop non-muslims from eating just bcoz the muslims are fasting. Is this not being selfish? Shouldn’t we respect each other the way of living. The pm preaches Acceptance. To what level of acceptance are u propagating Mr pm? What is the target level for your KPI?

  27. #27 by Taxidriver on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 2:33 am

    Certain quaters within UMNO Baru ( Mahathir’s party ) are plotting Najib’s downfall. They craftily play-up the race card over and over again to spike and weaken Najib’s grip on the party. He (Najib) as PM cannot join in their Race Game for, to do so, he will lose the people’s support. But if he voices his disapproval over their behaviour and actions, they will label him as weak and unable to defend the rights of the Malays. Najib is caught in a Catch 22 situation.

    The three cases involving TP, LGE and CJM is a desperate and dangerous move to instill suspicions and fear among the Malays that the Chinese will take over running of the country if they let their guards down. Hence, Malays must hate the Chinese. They must unite, fight and humble them.

    Should matters get out of control, these UMNO mutineers will push the blame to Najib who will then be pressured to step down like what happened to Abdullah Badawi.

    And in such a scenario, the biggest gainer will be none other than Mahathir because his son is a step nearer to becoming the future PM. Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali whose political is as good as finished might just find his fortune reversed under a new UMNO Baru PM.

    Najib now has the option to be firm and to come down hard on whoever that incites racial sentiments, or wait to be shown the EXIT

    Mr. PM, you can still win over the hearts and minds of the rakyat if you want to. But, know this: time is running out for you.

  28. #28 by cemerlang on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 4:29 am

    Try to be a decent human being first like being honest, being kind, being tolerant, being sensitive, being humble and being all the good things Allah wants you to be instead of being so caught up in the act of puasa and having snoop squad going around in the name of Allah watching all in the food stalls. If Allah is so powerful, He can do it on His own without sinful human acting on His behalf.

  29. #29 by lopez on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 8:06 am

    no wonder the education system is so mess up

  30. #30 by yhsiew on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 8:14 am

    By the way, that was not the first time a Malay headmistress made such a derogatory remark to her students. When I was a secondary school boy in 1971, a male Malay teacher told students who gathered at the Monday morning assembly, “If you continue to misbehave (make noise), I will send you back to China.” Surprisingly, no parents had protested against his words!

    Not all Malay teachers are racists. I had seen some very good Malay teachers who, after the May 13 riot, worked tirelessly to mend the rift between races.

    The recent racial remark made by the principal of a school was probably an isolated case.

  31. #31 by lopez on Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 8:30 am

    Tiew ! ….feel guilty….already…

  32. #32 by johnnypok on Sunday, 22 August 2010 - 4:58 am

    Delete her citizenship, and send her back to Indonesia, or Africa, or Zamboangar

  33. #33 by rayden on Thursday, 26 August 2010 - 1:08 pm

    She’s not a public’s enemy, the authorities should throw her in ISA for her stupid action!

You must be logged in to post a comment.