THE statement by Chinese education movement leaders that the government can take its time to recognise the UEC is irresponsible and unwise.
The UEC has not been recognised since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad refused to even allow Dong Zong to hold the exam in 1975. It is clear that PH won the majority of the Chinese votes during GE14 mainly because among other promises, its manifesto and leaders pledged to recognise the UEC, the school leaving certificate of the Malaysian independent Chinese secondary schools. Voters were given the impression that such recognition was part of PH’s reform in a new and inclusive Malaysia.
The truth is that the UEC has become a political issue since Umno refused to recognise the MICSS system because of its “Malay Agenda”. The pussyfooting from the PH government is nothing more than the lack of moral courage and political will. This is the price we pay for adhering to race-based political parties.
The prime minister now tells us that “the recognition of UEC needs to consider the feelings of Malays”. Isn’t it amazing that the Cambridge O levels and A levels have been held since independence but we don’t hear anyone voicing consternation about how these foreign English-language examinations can hurt the feelings of the Malays or compromise the unity and harmony among Malaysians or threaten the status of the national language.
It was clear from the start that the prime minister and his Pribumi Party had no intention of recognising the UEC. We now know that their party exists to champion the “bumiputra agenda”. As Mahathir has admitted, these election promises were made because PH never thought they would win any way.
The statement about “Malay sensitivities” having to be considered was made after the education minister had set up a special committee to gather views on recognising the UEC.
The justification for selection of the committee members was never spelled out nor were the terms of reference clear. The minister had earlier said that formal recognition of the UEC will only be made “after a comprehensive and holistic study on the issue has been completed ... whether the formal recognition of UEC could compromise unity and harmony among Malaysians ... the status of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language ...”
Why go through the farce of setting up a special committee and wasting time and money? The country needs to know:
» What credentials do the special committee members have to evaluate the UEC?
» Has anyone seen the terms of reference?
» What factual data and criteria will they use to evaluate the UEC?
» How broad is the spectrum of people whose views are sought?
» Is it a numbers game to see how many individuals and NGOs can be rounded up to meet the committee?
» Will the Cabinet abide by the recommendation of this special committee?
» Has the committee got an undertaking from the PM?
» If not, why waste time and money?
Instead of this committee, the Education Ministry should reveal the results of the MQA’s assessment of the UEC. This is the only missing piece. If the MQA is a professional accreditation institution without political constrictions, it would spell out what its audit of the UEC has concluded.
Has the PH government consulted the MQA on this? It does not matter if the requirements of the MQA are more stringent than the National University of Singapore’s – it just has to spell out what the results of that audit are. The government cannot suspend a professional decision for more than 40 years!
Many of these Dong Zong leaders’ children have gone on to foreign universities. Whether the UEC is recognised or not probably doesn’t matter to them. The recognition is for the benefit of those students and their parents who cannot afford to go overseas and could go to local institutions or the civil and armed services, which is the stated intention of the government.
This will help to promote greater integration among Malaysians and also alleviate the financial plight of those MICSS graduates who cannot afford tertiary education in private colleges or abroad.
By not recognising the UEC, the government is depriving a sector of the population of their right to education and access to state institutions that have been paid for by all Malaysian taxpayers.
Kua Kia Soong is adviser to Suaram.
