KUCHING, Feb 8, 2015: Sarawak PKR has rejected a proposal
to amend the "Dan Lain Lain" box in official federal government form
to "Bumiputera Iban" and "Bumiputera Bidayuh" , among others.
"We demand that the anthropologically correct term
of "Dayak" be used instead to classify aLL non-Muslim natives of Sarawak,
including the Kedayan and the Melanau.
"For clarity, it should be KAUM DAYAK SUKU IBAN, or
KAUM DAYAK SUKU LUN BAWANG, or KAUM DAYAK SUKU PENAN and so on," Sarawak
PKR information chief Vernon Aji Kedit said in a statement today.
 |
| Baru Bian (centre, front seat) with members of Sarawak PKR supreme council |
"We further pledge that when we are voted into
Government, we will amend the Sarawak Constitution to reflect this and
institutionalise and enshrine the term DAYAK.
"This shall be in our PKR manifesto," he said,
adding yesterday's supreme council meeting of Sarawak PKR had made it very
clearly that the proposal to categorise the non-Muslim natives as Bumiputera as
unacceptable.
He said the supreme council rejected the proposal
announced by Chief Minister Adenan Satem last month.
Meanwhile, the followings are the newly elected members
of the autonomous Sarawak PKR supreme council for the term 2015 to 2017.
1. State Chairman YB Baru Bian.
2. State Deputy Chairman Abg Zulkifli Abg Engkeh.
3. State Vice Chairmen YB See Chee How, YB Ali Biju and
Boniface Willy Tumek.
4. State Secretary - General Nicholas Bawin Anggat.
5. State Deputy Secretary Lynette Tan Ping.
6. State Treasurer - General MP YB Dr. Michael Teo Yu
Keng.
7. State Information Chief Vernon Aji Kedit.
8. State Women's Chief Jenny Lawai and Deputy Ani Lisut.
9. National Women's Vice President Voon Shiak Ni and
National Women's EXCO Nurhanim Hanna Mokhsen.
10. State Youth Chief Abdul Raafidin Majidi.
11. State Election Committee YB See Chee How
12. Chairman Land Task Force Committee Joshua Jabeng.
13. Chairman Membership Registration Committee Willie
Mongin.
14. Chairman Manifesto Committee Vernon Aji Kedit.
15. All Divisional Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Baru expressed his disappointment with the ban
on non-Islamic activities in the MRSMs in Sarawak.
"This issue was raised last year but the principal
of MRSM Betong at that time had said that they did not practice such
discrimination.
" How shocking that the current principle had said
that the ban had been in place for several years.
"Such practices teach our young that religious
discrimination and intolerance are acceptable - they must be if they are
practised in an educational institution, a place where we send our future
leaders for learning.
"Attitudes are formed at young ages, and
discrimination such as this teaches and reinforces the ugly mindset of racial
superiority in some and a damaging second-class inferiority in others.
"It must be pointed out that MRSM is not a religious
school – if it were, the administrators would be fully within their rights
under Article 12(2) of the Federal Constitution to make the rules for Muslim
pupils as they see fit. However, as MRSM is not a religious institution and it
is open to non-Muslim pupils, the ban is unconstitutional.
"Specifically, it contravenes Article 8, which
provides for Equality for all persons, and Article 11 for Freedom of
Religion," he said.
He said section 12(1) of the Constitution states:
(1) Without
prejudice to the generality of Article 8, there shall be no discrimination
against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of
birth –
(a) in the administration of any educational institution
maintained by public authority, …
Baru said it should be noted that s 51 of the Education
Act 1966 allows for the provision of religious teaching in a religion other
than Islam by the Governors of a government-aided educational facility to the
pupils of that institution (but such provision is not to be paid for from
moneys provided by Parliament).
"Clearly this provision was included in cognizance
of the rights of Malaysians to equality and freedom of religion. Parents of
non-Muslim students in MRSM are not even asking for the provision of religious
teaching by MRSM – they merely want their children to be given the freedom to
practice their faiths in the school, as is their right to do so.
"It is obvious that the drafters of the rules for
MRSM were ignorant of the laws of this country, and those who administer the
rules are equally ignorant.
"The authorities responsible must remove these
repugnant rules, otherwise they can be challenged in a court of law.
"Speaking for PKR Sarawak and myself, we are
prepared to commence legal action against MRSM if after this statement, we find
that these rules are still enforced in Sarawak.
"It is unfortunate that institutionalised religious
discrimination has spread to schools in Sarawak.
"We must stop this scourge before it destroys the
religious and racial harmony that we take so much pride in.
"The Federal Government has so far failed to provide
superior education for Sarawakians.
"On the contrary, they are helping to destroy what
we hold precious in Sarawak. It is appropriate at this time to again call for
the Sarawak Government to reclaim the purview and control of Education from the
Federal Government," Baru, who is also the Ba'Kelalan state lawmakers,
said.
No comments:
Post a Comment