6 theSun | TUESDAY MARCH 24 2009

news without borders

Wee slams Dr M over remarks on Chinese educationists

DEPUTY Education Minister Datuk Dr
Wee Ka Siong has slammed former
prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad for labelling Chinese
educationists as racists for opposing
Vision Schools.
“His allegation is subjective. Ma-
hathir’s accusation is also inaccurate
because the Chinese community still
doubts the effectiveness of Vision
Schools,” said Wee in the Parliament
lobby.
He said the government had
also launched a unity programme
for students and it was one of the
ways to foster unity among stu-
dents from vernacular and national
schools.
“It is very difficult to find a place
with balanced representation of
Malays, Chinese and Indians,” he
said, adding that schools will look
just like another national school if it
did not have equal representation of
population.
Wee, who is MCA Youth chief,
said the vernacular school module
was determined by the Education
Ministry and “we sing the same na-
tional anthem and recite the same
Rukun Negara. I do not see any clash
of ideology between vernacular and
national schools.
“The schools come from the same
system. If the Chinese educationists
do not like to mix with Malays, why is
it that about 90% of Chinese school
students continued their education
in national secondary schools,” Wee
asked.
On Sunday, Mahathir was quoted
as saying: “That (opposing the set
up of Vision Schools) is apartheid.
We can only have Bangsa Malaysia if
everyone can study together in one
school.
“They did not want their children
to mix with the other races especially
the Malays and that is apartheid, not
us,” Mahathir had said.

Speaker rejects motion to

cancel Gobind’s suspension
Giam Say Khoon and
Karen Arukesamy
at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday
DAP MPs have described Speaker
Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia’s
decision to reject their emergency
motion to “cancel or set aside”
(DAP-Puchong) Gobind Singh’s
suspension and deprivation of
allowance as “unreasonable” and
“unacceptable”.
Chong Chieng Jien (DAP-
Bandar Kuching) said his mo-
tion was tabled on Thursday and
yesterday it was rejected in the
Speaker’s chamber and not in the
House. “The Speaker’s reason for
rejecting the motion in chamber
was because the matter has been
raised and the minister has given
clarifications,” he said in a press
conference in Parliament lobby.
Chong said the issue of the
House making an “unlawful deci-
sion” (Gobind’s suspension and
allowance deprivation) was not
raised. “We tabled a motion to set
aside the suspension with good
intent to salvage or save this House
from proceeding with an unlawful
decision, which ultimately may
become a great embarrassment to
the House,” he stressed.
M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh
Barat) said: “The most important
aspect of suspension which was
missed out is there should have
been a proper inquiry by the com-
mittee of privileges under Standing
Order 18.”
He said the Standing Order
states that “there shall be referred
to the committee any matter which
appears to affect the powers and
privileges of the committee. It shall
be the duty of the committee to
consider any such matters.”
Kulasegaran said the failure of
the House to refer the matter to the
committee was in itself a mistake
and, worse, the whole motion was
completed within one-and-a-half
hours without giving many of the
Opposition MPs a chance to debate.
“Today, after Bandar Kuching raised
the matter, I told the Speaker ‘the
Malaysian Parliament is a laughing
stock’ and that people are asking
why the accused was not given a
chance to explain himself?”
Earlier in the Dewan, there
was a heated exchange between
DAP MPs Chong, Fong Po Kuan
(DAP-Batu Gajah) and Kulasega-
ran, and the Speaker when Chong
said the reason for rejection was
“unreasonable”.
The Speaker refused to allow
them to even speak about it, reiter-
ating that the motion had been re-
jected in the chamber, therefore no
further discussion was allowed.
Visibly unsatisfied, Fong said:
“Can you by way of motion re-
move an MP’s privileges just like
that? He is not disqualified, if he is
disqualified, you can remove all
the privileges.”
Gobind was suspended on
March 16 without allowance and
benefits for one year for alleg-
ing that Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was
involved in the murder of Mongo-
lian translator Altantuya Shaari-
ibuu and for contempt against the
Deputy Speaker.
‘Very detrimental’
human rights ranking
THE majority of countries
tend to act as a “mutual
praise society” rather than
giving constructive criticism
to improve human rights per-
formance of the countries in
review, a study by UN Watch
revealed.
The “Country Scorecard
and Evaluation of the Uni-
Court versal Periodic Review (UPR)
doesn’t system of the United Nations
buy KL (UN) Human Rights Council”
revealed that only 19 of 55
knifepoint countries had average scores
robbery indicating that they have
story contributed positively, while
a majority of 32 failed to
pg 8 scrutinise their peer countries
genuinely, misusing the proc-
ess to legitimise human rights
abusers, instead of holding
them accountable.
The report was briefly
presented in a briefing for
MPs and diplomatic corps on
Malaysia’s UPR in Parliament
House, where about 20 MPs
were present.
Dignity International
adviser Jerald Joseph, one
of the panel speakers, said:
“It means the rationalisation
process of the UN, which is
supposed to improve and give
Courtesy call ...
DEPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak met National People’s Congress (NPC)
of China vice-chairman Li Jianguo (left) who
made a courtesy call on him in Parliament
House yesterday. Jianguo, who led a five-man
delegation, had a 30-minute meeting with Najib
where they discussed current issues involving
the two countries. Earlier, the delegation called
on Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abdul
Hamid Pawanteh and Deputy Dewan Negara
Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku
Jaafar.
BERNAMAPIX
greater valid-
ity to the UN
Human Rights
Council, has
now been
abused by the
countries.”
“As a Ma-
laysian, I’m
more con-
cerned about
the country’s
rank – ‘very
detrimental”.
It shows that
Malaysia
made many
interventions
but the qual-
ity of it is not
there,” he
said.
Malaysia
is listed
among the
11 countries
categorised
as “very det-
rimental” in
its reviews of
fellow participating countries take an active role in this be-
and have undermined the cause the recommendations
UPR objectives, which are to given to improve Malaysia’s
achieve “the improvement of situation can be debated in
human rights on the ground” Parliament.
in the countries reviewed and Centre for Public Policy
“the fulfilment of the State’s Studies chairman Tan Sri Ra-
human rights obligations and mon Navaratnam in his open-
commitments”. ing speech said: “Malaysia
The report states: “Their has a great deal of progress,
interventions praised and yet according to international
covered up for the country opinions there is still a long
reviewed, effectively block- way to go.”
ing, undermining and spoiling He said the Coalition of
genuine scrutiny of violations. Malaysia NGOs (Comango)
When violators are granted had stated that government
impunity, victims are let consultation with NGOs has
down.” been superficial.
Jerald said MPs should “Malaysia’s presenta-
tion during the review
described some of its suc-
cesses without acknowl-
edging any shortcomings,”
Navaratnam said.
Comango had said the
government highlighted the
overall reduction of poverty
but failed to address the
increase in income dispar-
ity, for example, within the
bumiputra community.
“Too many friendly
countries have spoken
favourably about us at the
Geneva interactive dialogue
and it was difficult to get
countries that were open,
honest and more critical,
due to time constraint.
“What is important is for
us to be honest, open, trans-
parent, exhibit the highest
integrity that we can to
put the record straight,” he
said.