A crowd gathering outside the courtroom at the Palace of Justice on Thursday (Nov 23). — Photo: AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal is set to deliver its ruling on the appeal of four non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which sought to declare that the use of Chinese and Tamil languages as the medium of instruction in vernacular schools goes against the Federal Constitution.
Security was tight at the entrances to the Palace of Justice on Thursday (Nov 23) in anticipation of a gathering or rallies.
MCA leaders and representatives of the groups were seen entering the courtroom at 9.15am while media personnel had started gathering at the Palace of Justice as early as 8am.
On Dec 29, 2021, the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Mappim, Gapena and the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), which sought the closure of vernacular schools.
In its ruling, Justice Mohd Nazlan held that vernacular schools in the country were in line with provisions enshrined in the Federal Constitution that protected the usage of mother-tongue languages in teaching.
GPMS dropped out of appealing the decision.
On May 29, 2022, Justice Abazafree Mohd Abbas of Kota Baru High Court also ruled that the existence of vernacular schools was constitutional and the existence must be read in the historical context.
The 13 respondents named in the appeal include the government, the Education Ministry, Chinese educationist groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, Persatuan Thamizhar Malaysia, MCA, MIC, Gerakan and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia.
