DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has called on the Chinese community to acknowledge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim following the Cabinet’s decision to allow Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) graduates entry into public universities.
Speaking at the Pakatan Harapan convention in Johor Bahru today, Loke said no previous administration had demonstrated the political courage to resolve the long-standing issue.
“PAS and Bersatu previously agreed to recognise the UEC, but when Anwar implements it now, they say it is wrong and blame DAP. This is hypocrisy,” he said.
“I salute Anwar. He is a brave leader.”
Loke criticises opposition and MCA
Loke said some quarters had claimed that the expectations of the Chinese community had not been fulfilled under the current administration.
He also criticised MCA president Wee Ka Siong for raising similar arguments.
“The Chinese community needs to open their eyes. They say their expectations are not met, and that Anwar has deceived them,” he said.
“Wee Ka Siong also speaks this way. Enough of that. MCA did not resolve the issue when they were in government. It is Anwar who got it done.”
UEC not a replacement for SPM
Loke stressed that the UEC was not intended to replace the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
According to him, the qualification is regarded as comparable to the United Kingdom’s A-Levels.
He said around 80 percent of students who sat for the UEC over the past five years had also taken the SPM examination.
Loke said the figure contradicted claims that UEC students were not proficient in Bahasa Melayu, adding that the statistic played an important role in the Cabinet’s decision-making process.
Cabinet decision tied to education access
Loke said the matter should be viewed strictly as an education policy aimed at widening access to higher education opportunities.
At the same time, he reiterated the importance of Bahasa Melayu as the national language while encouraging Malaysians to master multiple languages, including English, Mandarin, Tamil and Arabic.
The Cabinet recently decided to allow students from tahfiz institutions, private schools and Chinese independent secondary schools to enter public universities if they possess a full SPM certificate.
UEC graduates without a full SPM certificate, but who sit for the Bahasa Melayu and History papers conducted by the Malaysian Examination Board, may apply for limited programmes related to Chinese linguistics or Chinese studies.
Among those who criticised the Cabinet’s decision was former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who claimed the policy was politically motivated and aimed at maintaining DAP’s support.
