Dr Hazland Abang Hipni
KUCHING: Several leaders of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) have made it abundantly clear that Sarawak has taken offence to Minister of Education Dr Maszlee Malik’s statement on the use of English language in national schools.
Among them, Demak Laut assemblyman Dr Hazland Abang Hipni took a swipe at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jien, saying that even if the various Education Acts were passed and supported by Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament in Parliament, it did not mean that they are applicable nor have an effect in Sarawak unless and until the State Legislature has endorsed and allowed the Education Act to be passed by way of an Act of the State Legislative Assembly.
“Chong is trained in a legal fraternity, he should not attempt to confuse the public by manipulating facts,” said Dr Hazland.
He added that Chong had said that Maszlee’s statement on the use of English language in national schools was just a restatement of the position of the law passed by the BN government under the 1966 Education Act.
“Chong is in fact trying to mischievously mislead all Sarawakians by pushing aside the main thrust of the statement of Ministry of Education made by the minister.
“He (Chong) was just trying to play the old political stunts by protecting his political masters in the Semenanjung (Peninsular Malaysia) when he very well knew that Maszlee was being misguided or he was not aware of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the Cobbold Commission Report and Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report,” he said through a press statement here.
Dr Hadzland was commenting on Chong’s defence of Maszlee’s recent comment that using English as the medium of instruction would be illegal as it contravenes the Federal Constitution.
Chong had defended Maszlee by saying Maszlee was referring to the government policy on national schools and not other types of schools, adding the law is not against private schools or vernacular schools choosing any language for medium of instruction.
Maszlee was responding to a query by Batang Sadong MP Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri in Parliament that Sarawak should be allowed to use English as medium of instruction in schools.
Nancy had said that the National Language Act 1963/1967 (Act 32) which states that Bahasa Malaysia is the official language has not come into force in East Malaysia because an enactment/ordinance has to be passed in the State Legislature.
She said Sarawak had never terminated the usage of English language as the state’s official language as stated in the Cobbold Commission Report and Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and Article 161 (3) of the Federal Constitution.
“I urge Chong to clarify if he ever understood that the IGC report was part of MA63, signed by the Federation of Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak? It should be read together with the MA63, and this requirement is clearly spelt out in Article VIII of the agreement.
“It is clearly stipulated that under paragraph 17 (1) of the IGC Report, which states that the present policy and system of administration of education in Sabah and Sarawak (including their present ordinances) should be undisturbed and remain under the control of the government of the state until that government otherwise agrees,” said Dr Hazland.
He also urged Chong to not run away from his responsibilities of implementing the Pakatan manifesto that he loudly preached during the campaign.
“Chong should stop portraying himself as if he really has the authority to make any offers with respect to education policy to Sarawak state government like he is the prime minister,” he said.