by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, March 3, 1992:
DAP supports the establishment of a Chinese Independent Secondary School in Pahang.
There are at present 75 Chinese primary schools in Pahang, with an average of 26,000 pupils who complete their Standard Six every year. In the sixties, Pahang had eight Chinese Secondary Schools, but they were all converted into government schools.
Apart from one Chinese Independent Secondary school in Kelantan, there are no other Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in the East Coast.
There is therefore a very strong and powerful case for the revival of a Chinese Independent Secondary School in Pahang to cater to the needs students and parents.
The DAP calls on MCA and Gerakan to give their support for the establishment of a Chinese Independent Secondary School in Pahang. The MCA Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Fong Chan Onn should announce on behalf of the Ministry of Education that the Education Ministry will approve the revival
of a Chinese Independent Secondary School if this is the wish of the Chinese community in Pahang.
The Barisan Nasional government leaders must recognise that Chinese education, whether Chinese Independent Secondary schools or Chinese primary schools, have made great contribution not only to
the training of qualified manpower for the country, but in creating the conditions for attracting foreign investment to Malaysia, especially from Taiwan.
In Thailand, the Thai authorities have lifted the 40-year ban on Chinese education because it was
regarded as a disincentive by the Taiwan investors.
The time has come therefore for the Barisan Nasional to recognise the educational and economic contributions to the national development not only by giving approval for the revival of a Chinese Independent secondary school in Pahang but by giving all possible support for the project.
The Barisan Nasional Government’s recognition and apprecia¬tion for the educational and economic contributions of Chinese educa¬tion to the national development should be manifested in the new Education Bill which is being prepared by the Government for presenta¬tion to Parliament.
The new Education Bill to meet the challenges of the 21st century should involve a two point
recognition of the role and place of Chinese education in the national education system namely:
* Government financial support and assistance to Chinese Independent Secondary Schools,
including reviv¬al or establishment of new Chinese Independent Secondary Schools, as in Petaling Jaya and Segamat.
* Building of new Chinese primary schools completely at government expense as in Taman Johore
Jaya in Johore Bahru and in Petaling Jaya.
The MCA and Gerakan Ministers should ensure that, both these features are manifested in the new Education Bill when it is finally approved by the Cabinet.