KUALA LUMPUR — Calling Chinese education group Dong Zong “racist” over the khat issue is wrong and unhelpful, two DAP lawmakers said as they called for renewed consultation over the government’s plan to introduce the calligraphic script to Year 4 pupils in vernacular schools next year.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was wrong to brand Dong Zong, or the United Chinese School Committees’ Association, as “racist” for disagreeing with the inclusion of khat in Bahasa Melayu textbooks despite a scaled down proposal.

But Mr Lim, who is Iskandar Puteri MP, also said Dong Zong was wrong in saying the khat lessons for Year 4 Chinese and Tamil primary school pupils was a form of Islamisation.

“Both these incidents illustrate the gravity of the misperception that engulfs the subject of Jawi in Chinese and Tamil primary schools,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Mahathir said in Langkawi yesterday that Dong Zong had never agreed with “anything” proposed by the Education Ministry in the past.

He cited the group’s opposition to the Vision School (Sekolah Wawasan) policy that would see children of all races mixing together.

Meanwhile, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said Dr Mahathir’s labelling of Dong Zong as racist was “uncalled for and most regretted”.

“Instead of allaying the concerns of Dong Zong on the khat issue, calling it racist will only distance it from any compromise or negotiations that should be had by all stakeholders on the matter.

“Dong Zong’s concerns over the khat issue should not be brushed aside as such concerns are not unfounded and possibly represent a large section of the Chinese community on the said issue. That there is dissatisfaction over the matter on the ground is a fact and cannot be taken lightly.”

However, disagreements should be argued rationally and not dismissed as racist, Mr Ramkarpal added.

“As the khat issue has attracted much criticism, it is only right for DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng to raise the same at the next cabinet meeting for its review, which he has confirmed he will do so.

“It is hoped an amicable and acceptable solution is reached on the matter as soon as possible through proper dialogue and consultation.”

Mr Lim has dismissed conspiracy theories circulating among the DAP grassroots that the khat controversy had been engineered by Dr Mahathir or Education Minister Maszlee Malik to serve political purposes.

“The Jawi subject controversy was a legacy of the former government. The (current) Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching only knew about the matter when the controversy blew up last month.”

He urged people to recognise that had the previous Barisan Nasional government retained power in the election last year, the Education Ministry would not have agreed to scale down the plan to teach khat.

Now, khat is not compulsory, it will not be assessed in examinations, and students will not undergo actual learning or writing of the script but only receive an introduction to it, he said.

He added discussions and consultation with all groups on the subject should be continued. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT