More powerful Sabah Education Director if Pakatan Rakyat takes over Govt

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah and Sarawak can look forward to a more liberalised and decentralised education system under a Pakatan Rakyat Federal Government. But only if PR takes over the Government from ruling Barisan Nasional, that's it.

PKR Vice President, Tian Chua, said PR is aware of the complains from Sabah leaders that the state education director has become less and less powerful lately in determining the management of its education system as the ruling BN has adopted a  more centralising policy on the two East Malaysian states.

"We in PKR and Pakatan Rakyat recognized the unique position of Sabah and Sarawak vis-a-vis our national education system.

"Unlike the ruling BN which had become increasingly taking power from the Sabah state education director, a Federal Government under PR would reverse the BN approach from centralizing to decentralizing the management of the state education management," he said in statement issued in Kota Kinabalu today (July 25).

Tian Chua, who is also MP for Batu, said PR would also give more Borneo contents in the national school curriculum. "We believe the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as partners in the formation of Malaysia must never be overlooked.

"It is dangerous to federalize everything to the point East Malaysians become restless on their roles, rights and privileges..." he said adding that a PR government would listen to state leaders' view on how best to manage the education, which was once long time ago under a state jurisdiction in Sabah and Sarawak.

Tian Chua was responding to the many complains including from Sabah state BN leaders that Sabah education director, Muhyidin Yusin, has become powerless on many things affecting schools as everything is centralised in Kuala Lumpur lately.

The most senior state leader who complained about this so far is Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism and Environment who is also the state minister in-charge of education in Sabah.

According to Tian Chua, once in power, PKR would lead in taking the necessary steps to ensure Sabahans and Sarawakians are given priority first in the teachers training recruitment. "This is our commitment to the people here," he said.

Tian Chua and another PKR vice president would be in Kota Kinabalu this July 29.