Martin John Madden
KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth is very concerned with Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) as its rules do not provide for the rights and spiritual well-being of other races.
Its Education Bureau chief Martin John Madden said based on a copy of the rules distributed by the school, under the heading ‘Additional Rules for Non-Muslim Students’, the school explicitly stated that since MRSM was set up for Bumiputera students with potential in science and mathematics, its core rules were based on one culture and religion.
Accordingly, the additional rule was introduced to maintain the so-called harmony in the school and non-Muslim students were not allowed to hold any religion-based activities in the school compound and display any religious symbols. On top of that, any religious activities outside the school during weekends must also be approved by the principal and if allowed to go, students must arrange for their own transport.
“We feel that the rules are not in line with the spirit of 1Malaysia as the term Bumiputera students include many Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputeras who are not Malays nor Muslims. The rules are not inclusive in nature because while Muslim students are allowed to hold religious activities, their non-Muslim counterparts are barred from doing so.
“Under the Federal Constitution, all Malaysians are guaranteed the right to practise their religions freely,” Martin told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
He stressed that the ban on religious symbols and religious activity in MRSM is really unnecessary as other secondary schools in Malaysia allow them to do so as long as they are properly supervised by their teachers.
“The school should also give equal treatment to non-Muslim students by facilitating their trips to their respective places of worship during weekends as this is part of the responsibility of taking care of their spiritual needs.
“We hope that there will be no more bias in the treatment of non-Muslim students while they are in MRSM. We have always respected the sensitivities of Muslims in this country, and we hope that MRSM will reciprocate our gestures by guaranteeing that the rights and spiritual well-being of the young ones in our community will not be cast aside,” stressed Martin.
He admitted that while the majority of students in MRSM in the peninsula are Muslims, it is not the case in Sarawak MRSM such as those in Kuching, Mukah, Betong and Miri where there are many non-Muslims.
“Besides that, in other MRSM in other parts of the country, there are also many non-Muslim Bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak. What we want to see is inclusiveness and consideration for our children when the rules are drafted. There should be no appearance of religious and racial bias at all in our education system,” said Martin.
He pointed out that even in mission schools in Sarawak run by the Church board and where Christian students are the majority, there have never been any rules to restrict the religious activity of Muslim students.
“As such we would naturally expect the same treatment from MRSM in this regards,” added Martin.