ALOR SETAR: Mandarin and Tamil languages should be offered as elective subjects in national schools, but it should not be a mandatory requirement, says Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
"First, we must strengthen Bahasa Melayu as the national language, so that regardless of race, every citizen can fully identify as part of the nation through language mastery," said the PAS deputy president.
He said it can also reduce ethnic sensitivities in the country as everyone will know their identity as a citizen.
He said his remark during the party supporters' congress opening was not to make the learning of the language mandatory but rather to provide it as an alternative within national schools.
"If we can teach Chinese and Indian languages in national schools, then let us allow students to learn them.
"At the very least, those who are interested can acquire knowledge of Mandarin or Tamil," he said.
He said the purpose is simple, which is to reduce suspicion and misunderstanding between communities through language and cultural familiarity.
He said his suggestion also did not mean to replace national policy and the focus should remain on a cohesive national education system, and not a fragmented one.
He was replying to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng, who had urged PAS to start offering Mandarin and Tamil classes in its Pasti preschools if the party was genuine about its proposal to introduce the two languages in national schools.
In a statement on Sunday (Sept 14), Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said PAS leaders should not just be good at speaking on the stage, but practise what they preach.
"If Tuan Ibrahim is sincere with the proposal to introduce Tamil and Mandarin as subjects in national schools, then he should first prove his seriousness by implementing the same thing at Pasti, PAS’s own preschool," he said.
Lim also pointed out that Mandarin and Tamil have long been offered as additional subjects in national schools.
"This proposal clearly proves that he does not understand the existing education system, or worse, he deliberately wants to raise issues that do not exist," he said.
He said what the country needs now is a unified system that addresses national unity comprehensively.
"This proposal is just an idea, and it's up to the government whether to consider it or not," he added.
