YOURSAY | ‘How does a school event end up with students paying homage to Umno?’

'Look at Umno flag-waving in proper context'

Rojak: I'm all for increasing awareness of history and making it enjoyable for young people, but how much opportunity was there for the kids to debate different viewpoints and interpretations?

And how selective were the facts? Did the organisers of the "School Decoration Competition" mention, for example, that the MCA was advocating independence at a time when Umno still wanted Malaya to remain a colony?

Vgeorgemy: These smart alecks are saying they are instilling pre-independence spirit so they need to show flags of political parties as the national flag only came into being upon independence. Then, where are the flags of other political parties which were part of the independence movement?

Why was it that only Umno leaders attended the event and no leaders from MCA and MIC? Do we need to deny the contribution of non-Malays’ role in the independence movement?

Umno in 1957 recognised the role played by MCA and MIC in obtaining independence and this was reflected in the original constitution which guarantees equality for all.

Non-Malays are grateful to the brave and compassionate Umno leadership of 1957 but not to Umno Baru which has no role in the independence movement.

Slumdog: How does the "School Decoration Competition" end up with students paying homage to Umno?

So, it is only Umno that fought for independence? Why waved only the Umno flag and sang the party’s anthem?

Mohd Emil Azril Bahari (chairperson of the Kuala Lumpur branch of the Malaysian Historical Society), you can spin this despicable brain-washing activity any way you like, but Umno’s fingerprints were all over the event.

Oldtimer: Mohd Emil, your concept of history is serving only a particular community and a particular political party. By the way, who funds the Kuala Lumpur branch of the Malaysian Historical Society?

You being the chairperson of the KL branch obviously do not understand history. The fight for Merdeka was not achieved by Umno or the Malays alone. The Indians, Chinese and other races played their part, too.

Ravinder: If this is the "history" that young, innocent children are being taught, then we are better off without any such celebrations.

This was a purely political event. It is despicable, to say the least.

It shows that Umno is very, very desperate. From Biro Tatanegara’s (BTN) indoctrination of ‘ketuanan Melayu’, it has now gone down to the primary school level. Next will be kindergartens.

Jedi Yoda: From the KiniTV video, the whole event is more like a public relation event for Umno.

The celebration of history in such manner as chanting slogans, waving party flags and inviting cute teachers to join the party suggests that Federal Territories Minister and Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan bin Tengku Mansor has hijacked the event for political purpose.

Dr M: Only a dictatorship would ask pupils to raise party flags

Clever Voter: There is a massive difference between being loyal to the nation and loyal to the party. The intention of Umno is clear. This is a hard reminder to the parents and kids who they should be grateful to and support.

Not only the act is morally unacceptable, it was done so shamelessly. Umno sees no difference between the public and the ruling party. No wonder, they treat our national coffers as if it’s theirs.

One wonders what’s the opinion of their BN allies?

Just a Malaysian: Indoctrination is a lowest form of governance. It is when logic and rationale fail and the government resorts to pure mental manipulation to gain support.

It creates a ‘zombied’ race not capable of thinking. See how North Koreans wail and cry when bidding goodbye to their Dear Leader.

Any government thinking along this line is selling out his race in return for continuous abuse of power. No defender of race will ever think of subjecting a whole generation to such mental abuse.

Allforit: What kind of "his-story" is this? Children should be waving the Malaysian flags, and not of Umno’s, MCA’s, MIC’s.

I can now understand why so many parents prefer not to send their children to government schools.

Lord Denning: The Ministry of Education needs to investigate this incident. The ministry secretary-general should order an enquiry.

Dont Just Talk: Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) is desperate and will even cling to a straw to stay afloat when news of the 1MDB financial scandal was exposed and that a sum of US$681 million was wired into his personal account with another RM42 million from SRC, which he claimed that he had no knowledge of.

When the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that US$3.5 billion was stolen from Malaysian people and the no-nonsense Singapore government has charged and jailed four private wealth managers for money-laundering over 1MDB funds, it reflects very poorly on MO1’s leadership, hence the necessity to force pupils to raise the Umno flag and sing the party song.

Lone_star: Soon, there will be the singing of BN component parties’ songs and waving of party flags in SKs (sekolah kebangsaan) all over this fair nation.

Gaji Buta: Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Umno has been invited to speak at China's Communist Party Congress. Why do you think that is the case?

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