DAP partly to blame for Dong Zong being labelled racist, says MCA Youth

PETALING JAYA: DAP is partly to be blamed for causing Chinese education group Dong Zong to be labelled as racist, says MCA Youth.

Its chairman Nicole Wong Siaw Ting said DAP's role cannot be discounted in the khat controversy as Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching had made ambiguous and vague statements following meetings with Dong Zong and its stakeholders.

Wong said this has led to Dong Zong being misconstrued as a "racist scapegoat".

"In the many discussion sessions held between Dong Zong and the Education Ministry, Dong Zong has always clearly given its stand - rejecting khat not due to any racial motives, but because it is unsuitable to be forcefully implemented as a part of the Bahasa Melayu syllabus in primary vernacular schools.

"Yet, why is the narrative reaching (Prime Minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ‘racist’?" she said in a statement Wednesday (Aug 14).

On Tuesday (Aug 13), Dr Mahathir had described Dong Zong as "racist" as it frequently protests the government's education policies, including the introduction of khat in schools.

Dong Zong had earlier claimed that the introduction of Jawi calligraphy in schools was a form of Islamisation.

Wong said DAP Cabinet ministers have not been able to voice out the frustrations of the people since the beginning of the khat controversy.

She said their inability has caused the Cabinet to get the impression that the majority of the people have accepted khat.

However, she said with Dong Zong being the vocal minority, it has given Dr Mahathir a biased view of the Chinese education group.

"If the Deputy Education Minister and other DAP ministers had chosen to band together to protest khat in a clear and concise manner, emphasising the need to uphold Chinese education integrity, it would have been effective with the issue being brought to a mutual understanding, " she said.

Wong noted that Dong Zong has stood up for Chinese education since Merdeka, adding that even DAP had once banded together with it in the past when they were the Opposition.

She lamented that as DAP now has become the government of the day, it has switched sides to partner with Dr Mahathir.

"In the last general election, 95% of Chinese voters cast their ballots for DAP, thus, it is only fitting for DAP to fulfil the mandate entrusted to them, and speak out for the Chinese community in the Cabinet.

"Regardless, no matter what happens, MCA Youth and MCA’s stance is the same, that is unwavering support for Dong Zong, and to be an unyielding bulwark for Chinese education, " she said.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng have come out in defence of Dong Zong denying that the Chinese education group was "racist".

Guan Eng has also said that he would raise the matter in a Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet meets today (Aug 14).