Monday, July 14, 2008

ADUN Banned from School Reunion (II)

I promised in my earlier posts - here and here - that I will bring up the issue of our state assemblywoman, Hannah Yeoh of Subang Jaya being banned from attending a gathering of school prefect alumni by her school, SMK Subang Utama, in parliament.

Read also her update given on the issue on 25th June on her blog where she wrote that she has "met up with the principal of SMK Subang Utama. An explanation has been sought. They have conveyed to me that they are required to comply with the instructions given by the Education Ministry."

Well, despite a walkout by parliamentarians from the opposition earlier today, I'll be returning to parliament later this evening to deliver the pre-scheduled adjournment speech on the above issue address to the Ministry of Education. There, I'll receive a formal and immediate reply from either the Minister or Deputy Minister (they have about 14 days advance notice to prepare the reply).

The following is the text of my speech, and I'll post the Minister's reply once it's put up in the Hansard tomorrow.
Pada hujung bulan lalu, ADUN Negeri Selangor untuk Subang Jaya, YB Hannah Yeoh dilarang menghadiri satu majlis perjumpaan semula, dengan izin, reunion pengawas Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan, SMK Subang Utama di luar kawasan sekolah.

Apatah lagi, YB Subang Jaya merupakan seorang bekas Ketua Pengawas sekolah tersebut. YB Subang Jaya telah dilarang daripada menghadiri majlis reunion pengawas sekolah asalnya kerana dia kini seorang wakil rakyat bukan Barisan Nasional. Ini adalah satu perkara yang langsung tidak masuk akal.

Perjumpaan reunion bukan majlis yang dianjurkan oleh pihak sekolah dan tidak menggunakan wang sekolah. Kos majlis ini dibiayai oleh wang peribadi pengawas.

Namun, cikgu-cikgu dan pengawas-pengawas sekolah diberi amaran bahawa tindakan tegas akan diambil jika YB Subang Jaya menghadiri majlis tersebut. Mengapakah kerajaan sekarang bersikap begitu kebudak-budakan sehingga memilih kehadiran ke majlis peribadi pelajar-pelajar sekolah?

Apabila ADUN mendapatkan penjelasan daripada gurubesar sekolah, YB Subang Jaya diberitahu bahawa arahan telah diberikan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan.

Ada juga pihak persatuan ibu-bapa guru yang telah meminta peruntukan daripada YB Subang Jaya, akan tetapi pada masa yang sama, secara langsung tidak membenarkan nya untuk menghadiri jamuan malam yang berkenan.

Saya ingin memohon Kementerian Pendidikan memberi penjelasan terhadap keputusan pihak berkuasa di sekolah yang melarang kehadiran wakil rakyat bukan Barisan Nasional menyertai aktiviti-aktiviti sekolah. Malah aktiviti luar sekolah yang tidak dianjur oleh sekolah, seperti prefects reunion pun sama sekali dilarang.

Kementerian Pendidikan telah kerap kali mengumumkan bahawa kementerian tidak mengeluarkan arahan seperti di atas dan hanya memerlukan kebenaran diperolehi dahulu.

Akan tetapi, jikalau kementerian sebenarnya ingin mengecualikan topik politik daripada sekolah-sekolah kita, keluarkanlah pekeliling mengenai perkara-perkara yang dilarang diucap dalam sekolah dan bukannya menghadkan penjemputan mengikut kenamaan seseorang.

Kalau kementerian tidak berniat meminggirkan wakil rakyat daripada Pakatan Rakyat, apakah tindakan yang akan diambil oleh Kementerian ke atas pihak gurubesar yang telah menyalahkan kementerian dalam perkara ini.

Akhir sekali, apakah langkah yang akan diambil oleh Kementerian supaya hal seperti ini tidak akan tertimbul lagi pada masa yang akan datang?
I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm going to expect the typical "BN government is fair and is not discriminating against anyone" reply.

7 comments:

clear conscience said...

Dear YB

I am also a PTA committee member in USJ 8 school and I was also told by the relevant school authorities that the school has also received a circular from Kementerian that all school activities should not involve the opposition MPs or ADUNS, Please bring it up as well in Parliament.

Unknown said...

At least in Selangor, Hannah Yeoh is a rep in govt, right? Selangor belongs to Pakatan, not to Barisan. Therefore, it is rediculous that somesone from the govt cannot hold a function in a govt school.

Anyway, according to the Deputy Education Minister Wei Jia Xiang, there is no regulation to bar reps from the oppositions to do official functions.

Anonymous said...

standard answer, very boring one

Education is not the place for politicians to attend except from BN 's.

Anonymous said...

Allen Tan,

Selangor may be under the Pakatan alliance but schools are under Federal authority. Also, there is a circular http://www.moe.gov.my/index3.php?fail=240&y=0&kategori=pekeliling that cautions school authorities from inviting prominent personalities.

I think Hannah Yeoh brought up a good point in her blog - civil servants (that includes teachers, headmasters/mistresses, etc) are paid by the tax payers and not by any political party.

lcclck said...

to invite a person for any school functions has an objective to show a role model for the students to 'copy' or to be motivated. However in the past, the BN politicians were invited as they provided FUNDS to the PTA or school's requests for money mostly and also to encourage the students to consider the good examples of such leaders. However, since the cases of Chua Soi Lek, and many more bad examples like close one eye ex MP, we should review the eneds to invite the politicians whom are real good role models excpet a couple of few, many of them are really not shining in their performance as a politician.
Hannay Yeoh is not proven yet, except she just happened to be in the limelight.
The school practised double standards and hence the injustice was highlighted here. However, forthe rela good of the students, we better invite better role mdels than we have to invite these politicians, and if you ask me about politicians, I do have my reservations about their integrity and honesty, Politics is DIRTY, and why we could expose our children to dirty politics at such young age, and just invite Nicol David, Datuk peter Ng, the CEO of UCSI,... they are better role models!!

Peter Leow

Anonymous said...

I feel you miss the point. We all no politicising education is a bad thing and while we know realistically speaking its not 100%possible, clearly breaking of the princple is happening here. Its really 'cakap tak serupa bikin' which Badawi's administration is already well known for.

This spat in the face of UUAA is suppose to discourage politicking. We have a situation where severeBN politicizing of education is beyond the universities and into our secondary schools.

LKS has posted another recent incident of Biro Tata Negara which we know have been happening for more than a decade.

This is fascism no less.

Carl said...

I am glad that you are returning to parliament later in the evening after the walkout by parliamentarians from the opposition earlier of the day.