Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and HP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the successful conclusion of the Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah DAP Branch 10,000-people mass signature campaign urging the government to allocate land for the building of Kuo Kuang (2} Chinese primary school at a ceremony held at DAP TUTA branch premises, Johore Bahru on Sunday, 25th July 1993 at 2 p.m.
DAP calls on the Education Minister, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Daud, to direct, the building of another Chinese primary school at government expense in Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah in Johore Bahru as the existing Chinese primary school has become the largest in South East Asia with 4,513 pupiIs
The Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah DAP Branch officials and members must be commended for their successful conclusion of its 10,000-people mass signature campaign launched at the Branch Anniversary Dinner on June 20 to urge the government to allocate land for the building or Kua Kuang {2} Chinese Primary School.
I also wish to commend the people of Taman Ungku Tun Aminah and the surrounding housing estates for their great public-spiritedness in giving full support to this signature campaign to assert their citizenship rights.
I will submit the 10,000 signatures to the Minister of Education, Datuk. Dr. Sulaiman Baud, and hope that the Government will understand the strong feelings of the over 100,000 people in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah and the surrounding housing estates that the government should not neglect, the educational needs of their children and should immediately allocate land so that. Kuo Kuang (2) Chinese Primary School could be constructed.
I understand that, the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah DAP Branch is proceeding with its signature campaign although it has achieved the target of collecting 10,000 signatures in a month.
I do not know whether the Education Minister would respect the views and appeals of the 10,000 people in Johore Bahru who had responded to the mass signature petition, but if the ‘people’s power’ of 10,000 people in Johore Bahru cannot, impress the Barisan Nasional to do what is right, then we should expand the mass signature campaign to 20,000, 30,000 and even 100,000 or 200,000 not only in Johore but throughout Malaysia.
Last. Tuesday, I raised in Parliament a question as to whether the Education Ministry had any plans to build a primary school for Taman Ungku Tun Aminah and the surrounding housing estates, whether the Kuo Kuang (2) Chinese Primary School or a new Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Chinese Primary School in view of the fact that the existing Kuo Kuang Chinese Primary School has nearly 5,000 pupils.
Education Minister, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Daud replied that the Government has no plans to build Kua Kuang (2) Chinese primary school as it is an assisted school, nor as it any plans to build a new Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah Chinese Primary School.
What the Education Ministry had planned however is to give priority to build another national primary school as the existing Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah national primary school already has more than 2,000 pupils.
DAP proposes a three-stage mass signature campaign to demand the construction of a new Chinese primary school at government expense at Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah
The Barisan Nasional Government had claimed that it gives fair and equal treatment to all primary schools, but the Education Minister’s reply has shown the gross injustice and discrimination meted out. to Chinese primary schools for over three decades.
All Malaysians must deplore the government attitude where it is prepared to build another national primary school because the existing national primary school has 2,000 pupils, ‘while it is not bothered when in the same area, the existing Chinese primary school has double the school population with 4,512 pupils, making it the biggest primary school not only :in Malaysia but also in South East Asia.
With these 10,000 signatures in a month, I call on the Education Minister to direct the construction of another- Chinese primary school in Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah in Johore Bahru at government expense as the exist.ing Chinese primary school has become the largest, in South East Asia.
DAP proposes a three-stage mass signature campaign to demand the construction of a new Chinese primarv school at government expense at Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah.
The first stage is the successful one conducted by the Taman Ungku Tun Aininah DAP Branch in collecting 10,000 signatures in a month, and the continuation of this campaign.
If there is no response or satisfactory answer from the Education Ministry after the 10,000 signatures were handed over to the Education Minister, then we must, be ready for the second and third stages of the campaign to moblise nation-wide support for this cause.
The second stage of the campaign would be to broaden the mass signature campaign to the whole of Johore while the third stage of the campaign would be to take the .mass signature campaign nationwide.
I have no doubt, that, the nation-wide mass signature campaign for the construction of another Chinese primary school for Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah and to protest against the unfair and discriminatory government policies and attitudes against Chinese primary schools would be as successful and historic as the DAP Save-Bukit China Campaign in 1984.
This is because once the campaign for another Chinese primary school in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah is taken onto -the state and. national level, it becomes a campaign not only for Tainan Ungku Tun Aminah but for the people in other parts of the country who had been facing the same unjust and discriminatory attitude from the Education Ministry as far as building new Chinese primary schools are concerned.
DAP does not regard this campaign as a DAP campaign, but a campaign which should be the concern of all organisations and individuals who cherish Chinese education and Chinese primary schools.
For this reason, DAP invites all organisations to join in this campaign. DAP also invites MCA and Gerakan to form a joint action committee for the allocation of government land for Kuo Kuang (2) Chinese Primary School and the construction of another Chinese primary school for Taman Ungku Tun Aminah.
I hope there would be positive response from the MCA and Gerakan.