Ismail Sabri is making UEC recognition a race issue; Unreasonable argument cannot stop UEC from being recognised

I would like to stress that the argument of UMNO Vice-President Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri that recognising UEC will abandon the national education policy is completely untenable and very racist. I urge Ismail Sabri to stop speculating on the topic, and to not be like a frog in a well, as recognising UEC is imperative.

Ismail Sabri and other UMNO leaders must immediately cease speculation on the UEC recognition issue. If Barisan Nasional was still in power, we would still recognise UEC as it is part of its election Manifesto. It is politically immoral for some UMNO leaders to switch their stands and talk nonsense after the general election.  

During the election campaign, all Barisan Nasional candidates used the same election Manifesto, indicating that the consensus of the Barisan component parties was to recognise UEC. The UMNO leader who has changed his position over UEC recognition is betraying the voters’ trust and his own promise.

The UMNO leader had said that Malays opposed the recognition of UEC. This is a non-issue. Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan have included UEC recognition in their election manifesto. Many UMNO and Pakatan candidates also received Malay voters' support in the general election and were successfully elected as the people’s representatives. May I ask how the Malays objected to the UEC recognition?

I warn Ismail Sabri against using racism in the UEC issue. This will not make him or even UMNO regain the support of the people. The people in the 14th general election have expressed their hatred against racism and willingly embraced the concept of inclusiveness and racial harmony.

The argument by Ismail Sabri that recognising UEC is to abandon the national education policy is unfounded. Every argument he put forward against the recognition of UEC is absurd and ignorant. He is completely living in his own world. He is self-righteous and believes that playing the race card will once again assist UMNO to regain the support of the people. The BN’s defeat in the 14th general election did not seem to make Ismail Sabri learn the lesson. There is still no reform in UMNO after the party’s election. This is very disappointing indeed.

Dato’ Leong Kim Soon
MCA Youth Secretary General

-MCA online-