by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 5th August 1990
Malaysia is the only country in the world where government forms An Education Consultative Council whose primary purpose is not to seek the people’s views about the new education proposals, but to suppress them from the public until after the general election.
In his special television interview on the Education Bill 1990 yesterday, the Education Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has continued to mislead the Malaysian public about the content’s and purpose of the new education law.
Anwar said that there is no country in the world where the people could establish their own
schools. Anwar Ibrahim cannot be so ignorant, for he need, only go to the United States, Canada
and Austra¬lia to know that private schools, colleges and universities are very common features in
their educational systems.
There is no doubt that Malaysia is quite unique in the education world. Malaysia must be the only
country in the world where the government forms an Education Consultative Council whose primary purpose is not to seek the people’s views about the new education proposals, but to suppress them from the public until after the gener¬al elections.
Anwar Ibrahim is setting up the National Educational Con¬sultative Council with one purpose in
mind: to find an excuse to justify his refusal to make public the contents of the 1990 Education Bill
or its final draft.
DAP wants to tell Anwar Ibrahim and all the Barisan Nasion¬al component parties that this is a
most undemocratic way of amending the Education Act, and is completely unacceptable.
If the Barisan Nasional refuses to make public, the contents of the 1990 Education Bill before the
general election, then the DAP will campaign for the voters to reject the Barisan Nasional in the
next general election on the ground that the Barisan Nasional govern¬ment is not being truthful,
sincere and honest with the people about the Education Act 1990.
Anwar Ibrahim has admitted in his television interview yesterday that although Section 21 (2) of the
1961 Education Act will be removed in the new 1990 Education Act, the Education Minister will have new powers to close down schools.
Anwar Ibrahim is taking away with one hand what he pretends to give with the other. He pretends
to repeal Section 21(2) but hides the Section 21(2) power in another section of the new Act.
This is unacceptable.