High Court: Use of Mandarin, Tamil in vernacular schools constitutional

PETALING JAYA: The High Court has ruled that the use of Mandarin and Tamil in vernacular schools is constitutional, Free Malaysia Today reports.

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali held that the existence of about 1,800 such schools is legal and constitutional.

“These schools are not public authorities as defined in the Federal Constitution to use Malay as the medium of instruction,” he reportedly said, in dismissing a suit against the existence of vernacular schools.

The suit was initiated by the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), the Islamic Education Development Council (Mappim), and the Confederation of Malaysian Writers Association (Gapena) in December 2019.

They were seeking a court declaration that the existence of vernacular schools goes against the provisions in the federal constitution as Article 152(1) of the Federal Constitution defines Malay as the national language.

Some of the organisations that have been named as defendants are Chinese educationist groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, Persatuan Thamizhar Malaysia, Persatuan Tamilar Thurunal (Perak), Persatuan Gabungan Kebajikan Guru-Guru Bersara Sekolah Tamil, the Malaysian Chinese Language Council, Persatuan Malaysia Tamil Neri Kalagam, Gabungan Persatuan Bekas Pelajar Sekolah Tamil Malaysia and SMJK Chong Hwa.

Apart from the government, four political parties – MIC, MCA, Gerakan and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia – have also joined in as defendants.