KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Naam Tamilar Organisation has criticised former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent racial sentiments regarding the abolition of vernacular schools.
Its chief coordinator, Kalaimughilan Arjunan stated that racial division would subside if leaders like Dr M refrained from making any racially divisive statements.
"Day by day racist statements or discussions on the rights of vernacular schools by Dr M have made him the "Father of Racism" among Malaysians rather than the "Father of Modernisation".
"I do not deny the role of Dr M in the development of the country during the 1990s, but his legacy is not held in high regard by Malaysians because Dr M always makes provocative racial statements that could be the cause of racial divisions in Malaysia," he said in a Facebook posting.
Commenting further, he said Dr M needs to make a choice in his history, as whether to be perceived as a 'hero' or 'zero' among Malaysians.
Previously, Dr M has called for vernacular schools to be shut down, describing it as the best way to reduce the racial divide.
He claimed that the vernacular school system in the past contributed to the division within the country.
Tags: Mahathir, Malaysian Naam Tamilar Organisation, vernacular schools