Wednesday 14 September 2016

You’re ignorant, PBB man tells DAP’s Chong

September 14, 2016


Abdul Karim Hamzah denies that CM Adenan was only playing to the gallery when he asked for federal approval for more English schools.

PETALING JAYA: A senior PBB leader has accused Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen of ignorance on matters pertaining to the country’s education policy.

Speaking to FMT, Abdul Karim Hamzah rebuked Chong for suggesting that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem was merely playing to the gallery when he asked the Federal Government to approve more private English-medium schools.

Yesterday, Chong said Adenan’s government needed to act to prove that its pledges to the Sarawak public were not mere rhetoric.

Karim, who is Sarawak’s Assistant Minister of Housing, said he was surprised that Chong, as a Member of Parliament, was unaware that education was in the Federal List of the Federal Constitution. “Any change in policy or request by the state of Sabah or Sarawak pertaining to education has to be referred to Putrajaya.”

Karim said Chong had displayed “utter ignorance” with his suggestion that the Sarawak Cabinet could easily give approval for the schools.

He denied that Adenan was “just paying lip service” or that Sarawak Barisan Nasional was “creating false hope” as alleged by Chong.

He said Putrajaya would “at the very least” consider the request because it came from Adenan and Sarawak BN.

“Chong’s latest outburst shows a desperation to undermine Adenan’s efforts and to seek cheap publicity,” he said.

He told Chong to do his homework before making statements that would expose his ignorance.

Last Saturday, at a public event, Adenan reaffirmed the state government’s support for more English-medium schools to be established.

He said there were more than 20,000 fresh graduates in Sarawak who were finding it hard to get jobs because of their difficulty with the English language. -FMT

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