Statement from Mr. Yu Chin Liik Chairman of Parti Bumi Kenyalang。

Strongly urged the federal government to abandon the policy of discrimination, and all policies that adversely affect the development of  Vernacular education.

      The newspaper message on the 25th the day before yesterday, the new federal government continued to implement the former UMNO BN Government’s "Combined Class System ” (Two Classes in One Room System).  Sarawak bears the brunt, in whole Sarawak 222 Chinese Primary School, having 22 school affected, if not being corrected, may become a new way to gradually eliminate Chinese Primary.

      The new federal government insist to implement the "Combined Class System” (Two in One system), that is, the Chinese Primary which less than 30 students will be re-classed :  two classes in one room.  Public opinion generally believes that this will inevitably reduce teachers and teaching time. The teacher is half an hour in each class.  And now, in one class room, for two groups of students of different level, each taught for 15 minutes. As you know that, for the “Micro Primary School” ， their basic facilities, the teacher conditions are not as good as the large Primary School.   After implementing this new  system,   the serious negative consequences in these “Micro Primary” are self-evident.  The result of the implementation of this system,  eventually will deteriorated or shut down Chinese Primary.    This is a new danger signal to the Chinese Society. Once the gap is triggered, it will spread to Sarawak Sabah and Malay Peninsular all places.

      As we all know, the right to mother-tongue education of all ethnic groups is a legitimate right that is clearly protected by the official documents of the United Nations, and the primary schools of all ethnic groups are the original point of the basic rights to maintain the survival of the ethnic group.  For the six million Chinese in Malaysia, Chinese Primary School is the root of Chinese education. The Malaysian Constitution recognizes the right of all ethnic groups to have a mother tongue education. This is an undoubtedly truth.

       With the malformation of urbanization and the declining rural economy, the rural population has been greatly drained, Chinese Primary new students are decreasing, the number of urban Chinese Primary is too full, and at the other hand the rural Chinese Primary became “Micro Primary”.   As long as there is no prejudice, the handling of such things as above is very simple :  The government give an instruction to arrange those "Micro Primary School" ,  just to relocate to the urban areas which needed. 

       The former UMNO BN government created this so-called "Combined Class System”  issue,  which brewed serious consequences of these "re-class" students and teachers, has caused very much concerns in Chinese society .

       The former Government’s corruption and abuse of power and the poor governance, finally caused the more than 60 years old UMNO BN Federal Government eventually fall down at 5.09.   One of the reason is that 95% of Chinese compatriots are dissatisfied with the above matters, and seen the bad intentions of the "Combined Class  System."

       In the past nine months, due to the U-turn policies to the recognizing Chinese Senior School Certificate  from new federal government, has made the 95% Chinese who are most actively supporting the overthrow of the former dynasty in the "change of the dynasty",  full of anxiety, worry and disappointment.    If, now, the new government performed repeatedly ignored the public opinions and insisted on pursuing policies that were not favorable to Chinese Education in the former dynasty, such as this "Combined Class System ".  Does that indicate that the present new government should repeat the mistakes of the former dynasty?  Sarawak’s Chinese compatriots will not agree to the new federal government’s policy of “Combined Class System” !

       We strongly urged the new federal government to listen to the public's will and pay attention to the above, and to stop the implementation of the "Combined Class System" and the discriminatory to Chinese Unified Examinations and all the unfair policies which adversely affect to the development of Vernacular Education !