Stop debating and start recognising UEC, MCA tells Pakatan Harapan

PETALING JAYA: MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker has urged Pakatan Harapan leaders to end their debates and to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate as promised in its election manifesto.

In dismissing the UEC recognition as a non-issue, Ti said that Pakatan leaders should make a firm decision rather than allowing a political ground swell to provoke racial sentiments. 

Ti said the continuing debate on a petty issue like UEC recognition is threatening the unity and harmony of the nation. 

“The Rakyat have spoken and have given the mandate to Pakatan to rule and one of the undertaking by Pakatan is that they will immediately recognise UEC upon being elected to Putrajaya. 

“It is time for the Pakatan leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Guan Eng to publicly account to the nation the official stand of the government and allow the people to assess the sincerity or insincerity of Pakatan leaders.

“The majority have spoken and the Pakatan government should not be wishy-washy of the UEC issue by allowing it to give back to square one of the political board.” 

Ti urged Pakatan leaders not to escape their obligations by keeping mum over the issue of recognising the UEC, which have already been manipulated to arouse racial tensions and suspicions.

“If this is to happen, it will merely show that our new Malaysia and the elected Pakatan government is the same old Malaysia and government under Dr Mahathir in the past,” he added. 

The issue of recognising the UEC has been a contentious debate among Malaysians from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds over the previous years. 

The previous government said it did not recognise the UEC as Chinese secondary schools do not follow the national education curriculum and its students lacked proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia. 

As the UEC isn’t recognised by the previous Barisan Nasional government, holders of the education certificate are unable to enrol in public universities. 

The education certification is conducted by independent Chinese schools and is equivalent to the SPM.