MEDIA STATEMENT
This is to announce that the DAP Legal Bureau acted today on behalf of Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Chong Hwa Kuala Lumpur in respect of the school’s application to intervene in Kuala Lumpur High Court, Originating Summons No: WA-24-76-12/2019 Mohd Khairul Azam Bin Abdul Aziz v Menteri Pendidikan Malaysia and Kerajaan Malaysia which prays, inter alia, for a declaration that sections 17 and 28 of the Education Act, 1996, which permits the use of Mandarin and Tamil in national-type schools, is ultra-vires Article 152 of the Federal Constitution and, therefore, unconstitutional.
The said application to intervene was allowed today by the High Court, Kuala Lumpur and Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Chong Hwa Kuala Lumpur has been added as the 16th defendant in the said suit.
The DAP Legal Bureau is also acting for the said Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Chong Hwa Kuala Lumpur in respect of its application to intervene in Kuala Lumpur High Court, Writ Saman No. WA-21NCVC-84-12/2019 Mohd Alif Anas Bin Md Noor and Mohd Zai Nin Mustafa v Menteri Pendidikan Malaysia and Kerajaan Malaysia which seeks similar relief to the Originating Summons above. No date has been fixed as yet for hearing of this application.
The hearing of the substantive application in respect of the said first suit above has been fixed on 5th May, 2020 and parties have been directed to file their respective affidavits before the said hearing date.
The DAP is of the view that it is necessary to assist Sekolah Menengah Persendirian Chong Hwa Kuala Lumpur in the said two suits as the issue raised therein is in the public interest namely, whether the use of the Mandarin and Tamil languages as the medium of instruction in vernacular schools is unconstitutional.
It is imperative that vernacular schools are preserved in this country as has been the case since pre-independence with the Chinese and Tamil languages continuing as their mediums of instruction.
Dated this 12th of February, 2020.
RAMKARPAL SINGH
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
BUKIT GELUGOR
CHAIRMAN NATIONAL LEGAL BUREAU
DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY