KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will raise the issue of restoring SJKC Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin's original name, which was changed to SJKC Gamuda Cove, in the cabinet.
Zahid, who is also the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, however said the issue was not related to racial concerns.
"I fully agree with the point raised by Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong because his views, as presented by MCA, support the request to reinstate the name SJKC Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin.
"This was a decision previously agreed upon," he said in his speech at the BN Golden Jubilee celebrations.
MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong earlier in his speech at the same event pointed out that the name of MCA's founding member, Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin, was approved by the then Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid on Oct 26, 2017, as the original name for the school.
However, the name was dropped during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of SJKC Gamuda Cove on Wednesday.
In his speech, Wee highlighted Tun Omar's role as a founding member of MCA and a significant figure in Malaysia's fight for independence.
Wee said Tun Omar served in the cabinet of Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and embraced Islam in 1961.
"Does Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin not deserve recognition from the nation? This decision had already been conveyed to his widow, Toh Puan Aishah Ong, seven years ago.
"The media also reported on the Education Ministry's decision in 2017.
"Where is the justice for BN leader Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin?" Wee questioned.