DAP leaders hit back at Akmal, accuse him of stoking racial fears over UEC
Published: Dec 11, 2025 2:37 PM
Updated: 5:49 PM
DAP political education director Howard Lee has taken aim at Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, accusing him of using “fear politics” and distorting Malaysia’s education reality in his latest remarks opposing the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
In a statement, the Ipoh Timor MP said Akmal’s comments were “not just ignorant” but amounted to “deliberately using false narratives to incite social antagonism”.
He added that Akmal’s stance “nakedly displays that he is a racist ‘frog in the well’ discussing politics with an ostrich mentality”.
According to Howard, the core issue is not Akmal’s rejection of the UEC but his failure to get “basic facts right”, including the assertion that “no country in the world recognises multi-stream education”.
“Such remarks expose his ignorance,” Howard (above) said.
Yesterday, Akmal responded to DAP deputy chairperson Nga Kor Ming’s announcement that the party would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the UEC issue.
Dr Akmal Saleh
Addressing Nga directly, he asked: “Do you know that Malaysia is the only country in the world which recognises the vernacular education system? Does Singapore recognise a different system? No.”
‘UEC recognised by leading international universities’
Howard countered by pointing out that multi-stream and mother-tongue education is widely practised globally, citing Switzerland, the Philippines, India, Canada, Guatemala, and several European countries where minority-language and bilingual education are “institutionalised and legalised”.
“These are not ‘exceptions’, but the international education mainstream,” he said.
Addressing Nga directly, he asked: “Do you know that Malaysia is the only country in the world which recognises the vernacular education system? Does Singapore recognise a different system? No.”
‘UEC recognised by leading international universities’
Howard countered by pointing out that multi-stream and mother-tongue education is widely practised globally, citing Switzerland, the Philippines, India, Canada, Guatemala, and several European countries where minority-language and bilingual education are “institutionalised and legalised”.
“These are not ‘exceptions’, but the international education mainstream,” he said.
READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | UEC: Are the criticisms justified?
This KiniGuide was first published in 2018.
He added that Unesco’s long-standing advocacy of mother tongue-based multilingual education highlights its benefits for academic performance, cognitive development, and social integration.
“Therefore, Akmal’s claim that ‘only Malaysia allows mother tongue education’ is not only wrong, but shows he lacks even the minimum common sense regarding international education,” Howard said.
“Therefore, Akmal’s claim that ‘only Malaysia allows mother tongue education’ is not only wrong, but shows he lacks even the minimum common sense regarding international education,” Howard said.
He stressed that Chinese and Tamil primary schools are part of Malaysia’s national education system and that diversity is an advantage rather than a liability.
On the UEC’s credibility, Howard noted it is recognised by more than 300 universities worldwide, including Oxford, Cambridge, Melbourne, the National University of Singapore, institutions in Japan and leading universities in the US, UK, Australia, and South Korea.
He added that private universities in Malaysia have accepted UEC holders for over two decades.
“Top global universities consider the UEC credible and reliable, yet Akmal claims ‘UEC is not up to mark’. Is the problem with the UEC, or with him? The answer is obvious,” he said.
On Tuesday, Malaysiakini reported that Nga’s comments on the UEC reignited backlash against DAP, with critics accusing the party of attempting to undermine Malays.
His remarks were perceived on Malay social media as pressuring Anwar, drawing a negative reaction.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke subsequently sought to frame the UEC discussion as complementary to efforts to uphold the Malay language.
‘Even PAS, BN supported UEC recognition before’
Separately, DAP Youth national publicity assistant secretary Syaheera Ghafar questioned the repeated outrage whenever the party renews its call for UEC recognition.
In a statement, she noted that Malaysia already recognises international qualifications such as the O-Level issued by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) and Pearson Edexcel, as well as the UK’s General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE).
“If one of the main objections against the UEC is that it could disrupt racial integration because of its medium of instruction, why is there not the same level of protest against O-Level and GCSE?” she asked.
Meanwhile, DAP assistant national organising secretary Lee Chin Chen accused politicians now opposing UEC recognition of hypocrisy and double standards, noting that multiple coalitions previously supported the policy.
He pointed out that PAS backed UEC recognition in the Pakatan Rakyat common policy framework in 2013, Bersatu did so in Pakatan Harapan’s framework in 2018, and BN included the same promise in its 2018 manifesto.
“This means that almost all major government and opposition parties have, in principle, supported recognising the UEC. Since this is the case, it means no one is fundamentally opposed to the UEC on principle.
“To treat it as a scourge today is nothing more than sensationalism for the sake of it, attempting to turn it into a matter of racial antagonism,” he stressed.
Chin Chen added that recognising the UEC is not purely a racial issue, noting support from Chinese youths in national secondary schools who see it through the lens of national talent development.
He urged both the government and the opposition to move forward and stop exploiting the UEC for racial antagonism, leaving the matter to be studied professionally.
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