| The minority bigots (or bigot minority) who threaten our harmony Posted: 24 Jul 2013 11:21 PM PDT  Updated: My dear commenter*s who accuse The Mole (and I) of trying to spin the issue to save the school's authorities can go ad fly kite. Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan, in a front page report in the Star today, clarifies::
"The canteen will be reopened (today). The changing room had been used along with the canteen by ALL pupils since March becasue the canteen can only seat 500 to 600 people SK Sri Pristina has 1,300pupils." * If you can't fly a kite, jump from a tall building. We don't need your bigotry here in Malaysia.
Original piece:Folks who have kicked a racial fuss over the Sg Buloh primary school's changing room canteen ought to be ashamed of themselves. Them and their damned narrow-minded politicians and hate-mongering media hound dogs, they have been jumping at every little opportunity to paint Malay-Muslims in this country as the the bad guys. Frankly, I'm tired of them. As it now turns out, EVERYBODY at this school had been using this very changing room as their makeshift tuck-shop. Even the Muslim teachers and parents had been breaking their fast in this same changing room. It was something the PTA had agreed upon. Shame on you, bigots! The Mole has the pictures and story:  | | Photos of parents and teachers breaking fast in the room were published in several blogs |
KUALA LUMPUR: Amid outcry over students using a changing room as a makeshift canteen, several blogs have published pictures of Muslim teachers and parents breaking fast in the room at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pristana, Sg Buloh.
One of the bloggers, former journalist Mazidul Akmal Sidek had published in his blog post photos of teachers and some parents from the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) who had decided to break fast after visiting the area yesterday.
Mazidul claimed that the photos had been sent to him by the PTA chairman Hussein Mohd Ariff who said that the parents had no problem of eating and drinking in the room.
Parents of the school children when interviewed today said the decision to use the changing room as a make shift canteen had been decided in a PTA meeting earlier this year.
 Speaking to The Mole Zainah Zainordin (pic), 37, said: "We have all agreed to let the changing room to be used as an additional eating room as the canteen couldn't accommodate all students in one go."
"This has been done months before Ramadan. I am puzzled why do people bring it up now? My daughter prefers to eat there as it is clean and even I have been in the room myself."
When asked whether she agreed to have the changing room to be used as the makeshift canteen, Zainah said: "Yes. Because the place is clean, this school is a new school so the cleanliness and hygiene are kept in optimum condition.Better than eating next to the drain."
She expressed regret that the issue has been highlighted as national issue, saying aggrieved parents should inform the school administrators first, instead of using social media.
Commenting on the calls by public who asked for actions to be taken against headmaster Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor for making such decision, Zainah said: "It will be a great loss for the school."
"Even if he has erred, I don't think it's fair to sack or remove him from the school. He is a very hardworking headmaster, conducting extra classes and tuition out of his own initiative. The public do not know him, but we do. I don't think he has malicious intentions against his own students," she added.
A Facebook user known as Farah Asyikin who claimed that the headmaster is her father had also published a comment from a student who said that the changing room has been used by Muslim students even before the fasting month.
The student said nobody has showered or used the changing room. The room was decorated and changed into a proper dining room and that the decision was never racially-motivated.
Farah Asyikin wrote: "Do you really not know, heard or even care about RACIAL SENSITIVITY? If you do why is there only non-muslims in that photo even though muslim students ARE ASKED to do the same if they aren't fasting?TThey are not given extra treatment, to eat in a luxurious dining hall. They are all treated equally. Just the fact that there are more non-muslims who aren't fasting makes it a bigger deal. Do you see what I see now?"
 Another parent Amarina Yusof, 45 (pic) said: "I really do not know why people turn this into a big issue, bordering racial and religious sensitivity."
The retired lawyer said although the concerns of some parents' were valid, she questioned why did they bypass the school authority to air their grouses.
"The canteen is small. When we decided that it is okay to use the (changing) room, it is because know that the place is clean and safe to be used."
When asked why they did not decide to use other spaces, Amarina said: "Do you want them to eat in the classroom? It will be impractical too, with them being primary schoolers. A class room is for study."
A teacher who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity said the parent who had highlighted the case in social media might not be aware of the PTA's decision.
"The student is a new student. Maybe that's why the parent feels that the school had unfairly segregated non-Muslim students in Ramadan.
There are 26 non-Muslim out of about 1,300 students in the school.
The school was ranked as the best school in Kuala Selangor, until its ranking dropped to number two, this year.
 Another parent J.Puspalatha, 30, said she only wants the school to accommodate non-Muslim students to eat in a proper place.
"Our request is only that. We do not mean to cause any racial dissatisfaction."
When pointed out that Muslim students have eaten in the room too, she said: "They are lying."
It was reported on Tuesday that photos of the non-Muslim pupils eating in the changing room in the school had surfaced in social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Deputy Education Minister (II) P.Kamalanathan who had earlier said that the decision was unacceptable had visited the school at 1pm on Wednesday.
In a press conference after meeting the school administrators together with the state and district level education department, Kamalanathan said the issue has nothing to do with religion and race.
"The decision was made and agreed by the PTA to use the changing room temporarily as the canteen could not accommodate all the students."
Saying that the decision was made in March, Kamalanathan added: "The headmaster has a good intention but unfortunately the location is not right."
The deputy minister said the concern to close the canteen for the past two weeks due to renovation for fear that the children may harm themselves was also valid.
"They have agreed that it is not the ideal location. The headmaster has apologised and I too would take this opportunity to say I'm sorry and we'll make sure things like this won't happen again."
Also present during the press conference was Kuala Selangor MP, Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim.  |
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