KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has assured the Chinese community that the government will do all that it can to help them.
In addressing the need to build more Chinese national vernacular schools (SJKC), the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said he will discuss with MCA how to proceed on the matter.
"Although sometimes there would be problems in implementation, we will push through whatever is fair to the Chinese community.
"We will help you wherever we can," he said during his speech at the 63rd MCA annual general meeting here, today.
As the second-largest community in Malaysia, the Chinese should not be under-represented in government, said Najib.
"There must be a balance between the participation of Chinese representatives in the government, and the number of Chinese people in the country.
"But for that to happen, we need the support. The Chinese community should move forward with BN," he said.
Najib was responding to MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai’s speech at the assembly, wherein Liow defended the county’s multi-stream education system, and called for the establishment of new SJKCs and for the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) by public universities to be expedited.
"Diversity in our education system is the cornerstone of our nation’s success, as it gives birth to generations of highly-capable and confident Malaysians who can stand tall on the local and international stage.
"In this context, I appeal to you, Sir (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak), to approve the establishment of new SJKCs, and to relocate schools which have fewer students to areas where the Chinese communities are large, particularly in our urban centres.
"We also hope that you will consider allocating land and funds for this purpose," he said at the party's headquarters here today.
The process towards the UEC being recognised by public universities, Liow said, has already commenced.
"We hope that you will speed up this process, as the Chinese community eagerly awaits this positive development," he said.
Liow added that allocation for national-type secondary schools (SMJKs) needs to be increased next year, as has been done in previous years.
Additional reporting by JUNE MOH