Joint Statement Released by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong

October 19, 2020

Former Education Minister Maszlee’s Unwarranted Views Begs Redress

The Enhancement of Town Hall Meetings Mechanism Expected

This statement is to restore the true fact apropos of the unfounded contents upon Dong Zong stated in an article entitled “Education belongs to all, thus all bear their share of the responsibility” written by the former Education Minister Maszlee published on 18 October 2020. Simultaneously, we wish to remind the former Education Minister to abide by the responsibility of public figure, viz., to comment based on facts and not to point the finger too wantonly for political needs compromising national progress and harmonious integrity.

To begin with, Dong Jiao Zong had confirmed beforehand with the then Education Minister Secretary Sulaiman and attended the Education Ministry located in Putrajaya on 29 November 2019 to submit the “Grade Four Jawi Units for Vernacular Chinese Primary Schools” memorandum. Unfortunately, an internal miscommunication caused the delegates to wait in limbo for two solid hours and the memorandum was finally received by the Deputy Head of the Corporate Communication Unit of the Education Ministry. The narration of the entire event was posted in a statement released on 1 December 2019 on Dong Zong’s official website and thus not recounted here further.

But we wish to rectify, while Dong Jiao Zong delegates were waiting on 29 November 2019, the former Education Minister Maszlee was not seen or accepting them as stated in his article. We thus want to rectify his oblivion via the detailed recount of that day. In actual fact, Dong Jiao Zong sustains a stance of “corresponding beyond political parties but maintaining a care for politics” though witnessing the current political turmoil prevail. Nonetheless, Dong Zong safeguards mother tongue education, respects pluralism as well as needling social ills by attending many meetings organised by the Education Ministry. In a word, Dong Jiao Zong identifies with “education belongs to all, thus all bear their share of the responsibility” and believes that education plays a critical role in the rise and fall of a nation and the government hence needs to respect public opinion supervision and consolidate town hall meetings mechanism.