Bersatu Youth man claims reports saying Muhyiddin backs UEC are misleading
(Malaysiakini) – Bersatu Youth Education spokesperson Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir has called on all parties not to muddy the waters of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issue after the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) said yesterday that premier Muhyiddin Yassin personally hopes the government will one day recognise it.
The association had said that the premier expressed this aspiration during a meeting with Huazong representatives at the Parliament building yesterday.
Mohd Ashraf claimed that it appeared to be an attempt by several parties to incite racist sentiments and anger the Malays against Muhyiddin’s leadership on this issue.
“If you look closely at the statement from (the prime minister’s) official Facebook page, it is clearly reported that the discussions between the two parties were comprehensive on the development of the Chinese community.
“It is essential for Muhyiddin as Prime Minister to listen and open accommodation to achieve national integration, and it is not an error.
“There is, however, no statement from Muhyiddin that he wants to recognise UEC as a whole, as the opposition has started to play up,” claimed Mohd Ashraf.
“The evidence that the PM personally hoped that the government would recognize the UEC was just a claim made by Huazong and reported by the media,” he said.
In its statement, the association had said that Muhyiddin expressed the government’s willingness to negotiate with Huazong and other Chinese civil society groups on the UEC issue but had urged all parties to understand the country’s policies and circumstances.
Mohd Ashraf claimed that in saying this, Muhyiddin was subtly rejecting the idea of recognising the UEC.
He went on to say that Muhyiddin has always been consistent in matters relating to national identity issues such as the issue of the Malay language, the teaching of Maths and Science in English (PPSMI) and UEC.
“The prime minister obviously has a pretty good record of defending the national identity by adhering to the Constitution, and he clearly understood the issue of PPSMI and dared to abolish it.
“He has also repeatedly reminded us that the UEC issue needs to be properly resolved to achieve the goal of uniting Malaysians,” he added.
Mohd Ashraf said he hoped his explanation would provide some clarity and cautioned against those who would try to poison the dialogue and further harm the stability of the country for political gain.
“As PM, Muhyiddin needs to serve and listen to the demands of the multiracial nation, but we should leave it to his wisdom to clearly adhere to the ‘policy’ of the country,” he said.
