UEC no threat to National Language status and national unity

EDUCATION Minister Dr Maszlee Malik recently said: "A holistic approach towards any decision to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is needed to ensure that the national language and national unity are not threatened, as to avoid unnecessary U-turns in the decision made."
Chinese living in the region began to learn their mother-tongue language in private-managed schools as early as 200 years ago, inheriting the traditional Chinese culture with an aim to preserve and retain the roots of the ethnic Chinese in this country. Besides, it is the constitutional right for all ethnic groups in Malaysia to learn and develop their mother-tongue language, with freedom of worship and practice of their own culture.
The curriculum of the Chinese Independent Schools is based on real history and actual conditions of Malaysia, and thus true and factual Malaysian history. Historically, these Chinese Independent Schools are schools that declined to conform to reforms that took place in the 60s and 70s under the then Education Act 1961. And yet, since then, these Chinese Independent School managed to nurture numerous professionals in various fields and play their key roles in building our nation. Their contributions are real and great.
As the rakyat, we fully understand and appreciate the government's efforts to help and support bumiputras through different approaches and various policies. However, the status of the underprivileged is never a "special gift" from the heaven to any particular ethnic group but all, irrespective of which ethnic groups they belong. It just helps the weak ones to become stronger, to be able to stand on their own feet and thus bring lasting happiness to our beloved nation.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government's recognition of the UEC will neither jeopardise the supreme status of our national language nor hinder national unity and harmony. In actual fact, it is the Chinese community itself that bear all the development and maintenance costs for the Chinese Independent Schools, and thus greatly and effectively reduce the financial burden of the Education Ministry.
We, the Malaysia Chinese-Educated Students' Association, has all along maintained and stressed the importance of our national language by encouraging students of these schools to learn and master national language. The participation of the officials from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in the annually Bahasa Malaysia Speaking Forum proved that Chinese Independent Schools are not against Bahasa Malaysia as the official National Language of our country.
The Chinese community has all along maintained and upheld the status of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language under the Federal Constitution by encouraging students in Chinese Independent Schools to learn and master Bahasa Malaysia. As such, there is no way that the supreme status of Bahasa Malaysia as our national language will be jeopardised if UEC is recognised by the newly-elected PH Government. Accordingly, the worry that the recognition of UEC will threaten the status of Bahasa Malaysia and hinder national harmony and unity is totally baseless and is merely a false alarm.
In fact, graduates from the Chinese Independent Schools are assemblymen and members of Parliament. They are well versed in Bahasa Malaysia and carry out their job professionally. The recognition of UEC should be based on the quality and standard of the Chinese Independent School Education System and not otherwise.
In short, Chinese Independent Schools have not in any way harmed national unity and harmony. Graduates from these schools have contributed greatly to nation building and the UEC has earned recognition worldwide.
In conclusion, we would like to stress that there is no need to amend its curriculum to earn government's recognition. The curriculum is tailor-made in accordance with Malaysian history and education system.
Tan Boon Tak
Chairman
Malaysia Chinese-Educated Students' Association