What’s your problem, S’wakian MP slams Ridhuan Tee over Chinese uni remarks

What’s your problem, S’wakian MP slams Ridhuan Tee over Chinese uni remarks

Yesterday

FMT Reporters

Chiew Choon Man accuses the preacher of stirring racial tension by suggesting Chinese leaders in Sarawak are pushing for a Chinese university in East Malaysia.

Miri MP Chiew Choon Man (left) told controversial preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah that the country of origin of a university does not determine the ethnicity of its students.

PETALING JAYA:

A Sarawakian MP has hit out at controversial preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah over the latter’s “inflammatory” remarks linked to a proposed Chinese university campus in the Bornean state.

Chiew Choon Man accused Ridhuan of stirring racial tension by suggesting that Chinese leaders in Sarawak were pushing for a “Chinese university” in East Malaysia and that such an institution could undermine national unity, the Dayak Daily reported.

“What exactly is his problem?” the Miri MP was quoted as saying.

Apart from claiming that Chinese leaders in Sarawak were pushing for a Chinese university, Ridhaun had yesterday also suggested that the leaders were not satisfied with merely pushing for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) recognition or with setting up the New Era University College.

Chiew went on to say that a university from China did not mean it would be exclusively for ethnic Chinese students, noting that universities from Australia, Japan or the UK are not restricted to people of those nationalities or ethnic backgrounds.

“The country of origin of a university does not determine the ethnicity of its students and should not be used as a pretext to stoke fear.”

The deputy tourism, art and culture minister also said that cultural or linguistic diversity will not become a barrier to unity.

“Unity is not undermined because a world-renowned university wants to open a campus in Sarawak.

“Unity is undermined when diversity is deliberately portrayed as a threat, and racial and religious fears are exploited to gain attention and political support,” he said, adding that inflammatory posts could deepen tensions between communities.

Chiew’s reprimand of Ridhuan comes a day after PKR’s Lembah Jaya assemblyman, Syed Ahmad Abdul Rahman Alhadad, hit out at the preacher for questioning the use of Chinese-language banners for the Hungry Ghost festival in Ampang.

Syed Ahmad, better known as rapper Altimet, said cultural differences should not be used to spark racial tension.