Chinese school association urges fed govt to honour UEC recognition pledge

SIBU (Dec 13): The Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Boards has urged the federal government to honour its commitment to fully recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), saying continued delays have eroded public confidence and fallen short of public expectations.

Its chairman, Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau Lee Ming, said the recognition of the UEC was a clear and unequivocal pledge made by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to the electorate before the general election, as explicitly stated in its manifesto without any conditional qualifications.

Responding to remarks by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that UEC recognition could be considered provided the Malay language principle under the Federal Constitution is upheld, Temenggong Lau stressed that the prolonged impasse was not a technical or legal issue but a matter of political will.

“The question has never been about ‘can or cannot’, but about ‘will or will not’. After more than three years in office, there has been no substantive progress despite the mandate given by voters based on trust in this promise,” he said in a press conference held at Wisma Huawen Du Zhong here today.

He pointed out that the UEC has existed for over 50 years and that its recognition falls entirely within the authority of the federal government, encompassing legislative amendments, policy alignment and implementation.

However, he noted that no concrete action has been taken to date.

Temenggong Lau also rejected claims that UEC recognition conflicts with the Federal Constitution, emphasising that Chinese schools have always complied with national education policies, with the Malay language designated as a compulsory core subject.

“Graduates across all streams possess proficiency in the national language, and variations in individual mastery do not undermine national unity,” he added.

He further said repeated reliance on constitutional arguments to justify inaction lacked credibility, particularly as the Sarawak government has already recognised the UEC.

“To suggest that such recognition is unconstitutional is inconsistent with political and administrative reality,” he said.

According to Temenggong Lau, continued rhetoric without concrete steps would only deepen public dissatisfaction and further erode confidence in national education policy.