Khat – SUARAM – Suara Rakyat Malaysia

THE QUESTIONABLE IMPARTIALITY OF THE MALAYSIAN POLICE

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser 29 Dec 2019

The suppression of the congress of Chinese educationists over the khat issue by the Malaysian police sadly followed the same strategy we have seen repeated again and again during the last few decades. When the Prime Minister announced a few days ago, that this privately convened congress would, in his logic, lead to opposing rallies by Malay groups, it was the cue for Malay supremacists to spring into action and threaten a demonstration against this congress.

KHAT CONTROVERSY: IS DR. M REPRISING OPS LALANG?

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser, 23 Dec 2019

Anyone familiar with the events leading to Operation Lalang in 1987 could see from the start where this latest controversy over the introduction of khat calligraphy was leading to. And now, on cue with his mischievous 1987 script, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again warned the Chinese education group Dong Jiao Zong that if they carry out their protest congress on 28 December against the introduction of khat calligraphy lessons in vernacular schools, the Malay community might respond by organising its own congress demanding the shutting down of vernacular schools.

DECONSTRUCTING MAHATHIR’S RACIST RAGE AGAINST DONG ZONG

Press statement by Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser 15 Aug 2019

The Prime Minister has called Dong Zong (the National Chinese School Committees’ Association) racist because of its opposition to the inclusion of khat in the primary school Bahasa Malaysia curriculum. According to Mahathir, “if the education organisation continued to instigate and incite people to fight against each other, it would be going against the law…If you look at the background of Dong Zong, it has never fought for Malaysians. It has only fought for one race in this country.”