Sekat To Present 7 Resolutions On Jawi To Education Ministry Tomorrow

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At the end of the National Jawi Congress, some 500 participants and organisers led by NGO Seni Khat Action Team (Sekat) adopted seven resolutions which would be handed over to the Education Ministry tomorrow
Top of the list was the congress' objection to the compulsory introduction of Jawi lessons without prior consultation and their call for Jawi to be made an elective subject, rather than incorporated into the Year 4 Bahasa Malaysia syllabus beginning next year
Sekat secretary Arun Doraisamy led the passing of the resolutions which also called for the strengthening of the National Language Act 1963/67, the rights of vernacular schools to mother tongue education be recognised, and the move to teach Jawi in the vernacular schools be deferred
"With that the National Jawi Congress unanimously passed all resolutions for further actions by the government of Malaysia through the Education Ministry

"These resolutions will be presented to the Education Ministry during a meeting at 11.30am tomorrow in Putrajaya," he said to cheers from the crowd
As the opening speaker, Arun earlier took a swipe at Education Minister Maszlee Malik whom he claimed has so far failed to understand that their objections go beyond debating the three pages of Jawi lessons
"What happened? We have a trust deficit. The problem is not about three pages or six pages [...] but it's about their agenda
"We want to know what is their agenda," said Arun, who claimed that their previous attempts to seek clarifications on the matter have failed
At the same time, he stressed that all Malaysians have a right to discuss issues surrounding the teaching of Bahasa Malaysia, in line with its status as the national language
"Don't alienate my rights to Bahasa Melayu. That is the language of all Malaysians
"If Jawi is a heritage of the Malay language, then it is also the heritage of all Malaysians. I don't deny that, but don't force it," said Arun, who reiterated that a multi-stakeholder dialogue would offer a solution to the current situation
Various objections raisedMeanwhile, academician Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi said lawmakers and civil servants should similarly engage in dialogues with civil society groups involved in the process. In his speech, he likened Malaysia to a house whose owner is the rakyat, and civil servants and elected representatives to helpers and caretakers employed by the owner
"They (civil servants and elected representatives) cannot simply renovate the house without asking for the owner's permission," Tajuddin said to cheers from the crowd
He also drew parallels between today's conference and the Malay Dignity Congress (photo) rallied by Malay-Muslim NGOs on Oct 6
"Previously there was the Malay Dignity Congress whether they made all sorts of claims and all sorts of demands... allocations for this and that, various positions
"Today's congress is only asking for one thing: Discuss and meet to find a solution," he said
Representing East Malaysia, Sarawak Kenyalang Abandoned Heritage Association secretary Bobby Williams said the apparent rushed manner in which the Education Ministry chose to introduce Jawi lessons have raised suspicions among non-Muslims, particularly the Dayak people
"[...] we in Borneo were not given a clear explanation, and confusion had raised on whether there were religious elements involved in the introduction of Jawi," he said
Representing Parent Teacher Associations (PIBG) from Tamil vernacular schools, the day's final speaker, R Thayalan, said their objection was due to the already limited time allocated for Bahasa Malaysia lessons in Tamil or Chinese vernacular schools
"In SJKT and SJKC the lesson time is already shorter compared to national schools. "We also know that students in vernacular schools require more time to learn Bahasa Malaysia as they can be considered weak in the subject," he said in urging the ministry to focus more on the teaching of the language rather than Jawi script
Sekat hosted the congress with a view to asking the government to review its decision to introduce Jawi in the Bahasa Malaysia syllabus at Chinese and Indian vernacular schools
This will appear in three pages of the Year 4 Bahasa Malaysia textbooks for 2020
At present, the Education Ministry's policy is that this section is optional for vernacular schools, subject to approval from parents and parent-teacher associations. - Mkini

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