SUPP urges UEC recognition, warns Malaysia risks losing edge to Middle East

MIRI (Dec 16): The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has cautioned that Malaysia risks losing its competitive edge as major Muslim-majority nations, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, incorporate Chinese language into their national education systems.

SUPP secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew said the trend highlights the urgent need for the federal government to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), which is already accepted by many countries and internationally renowned universities.

“In recent years, many Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority countries have formally incorporated the Chinese language into their national education systems.

“Saudi Arabia has introduced Chinese language programmes in selected schools, while countries such as Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Pakistan have also begun offering Chinese language classes at school level,” he said in a statement on Monday

Ting noted that Saudi education authorities have introduced incentives to encourage the learning of Chinese, including study and exchange programmes in China.

He added that under Saudi Vision 2030, Chinese language skills are explicitly identified as an important competency in sectors such as tourism and entertainment.

“These international developments clearly demonstrate that Chinese is no longer a niche language, but is steadily becoming an important international language. Education systems that fail to adapt to this reality will place students at a disadvantage in an increasingly competitive global environment,” he said.

Ting expressed concern over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s response to the UEC issue, saying he had disregarded the long-standing and reasonable aspirations of the Chinese community and failed to respond meaningfully to real educational needs.

He stressed that recognition of the UEC “is not a political manoeuvre, but a major education issue that directly affects the future of the next generation”.

He added that its recognition should not be limited only to Sarawak and Sabah to prevent inconsistency and inequality in the development of independent Chinese education, while also affecting overall coordination of the national education system.

“It concerns not only today’s students, but also our children’s children, and their development prospects and international competitiveness over the next 10 to 20 years,” he said.

Ting warned that ignoring the importance of language skills and multicultural education would undermine our children’s ability to compete with their peers from other countries, which he described as an irresponsible approach to the nation’s future.

On the federal government’s stand that UEC recognition involves constitutional issues, he suggested a constitutional amendment be proposed in Parliament to allow the matter to be debated openly and transparently.

“At that point, the public will be able to clearly see who supports and who opposes it,” he said.

Ting also highlighted Sarawak’s progressive approach, where the late Chief Minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem recognised the UEC — a policy continued by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who provides annual allocations of RM10 million to support 14 independent Chinese secondary schools in the state.

“More importantly, students enrolled in independent Chinese secondary schools today also include indigenous students. Allowing children to master an additional language and acquire broader skills creates more opportunities and possibilities for their future,” he said.

SUPP urged all parties to stop politicising the UEC issue or turning it into a racial matter, and instead return to the essence of education.

The party called on the federal government to re-examine the UEC issue with a more open, pragmatic and forward-looking approach.