KUALA LUMPUR – Police have opened an investigation paper on allegedly racist statements made by lecturer Datuk Teo Kok Seong, who said Chinese vernacular schools promote racism, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Saifuddin said the emeritus professor is being investigated under Section 505 of the Penal Code on statements which could incite public mischief and Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 on the improper use of network facilities.
“The topic of the existence of vernacular schools in our nation has been a subject of debate for decades now, with some sectors agreeing with it while others have objections,” Saifuddin said in Parliament today, during his winding-up speech on the King’s royal address.
“When the courts have made a decision, we have to respect it and move on,” he added, referring to the Federal Court’s ruling that Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools remain constitutional, despite challenges against such institutions by two non-governmental organisations.
Teo is a former principal fellow with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute for Ethnic Studies.
His views against vernacular schools were first carried by the The Merdeka Times portal.
Saifuddin earlier today told the Dewan Rakyat no police reports were lodged against Teo.
However, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN) interjected, pointing out that The Merdeka Times owner Firdaus Wong Wai Hung had been summoned by police, allegedly over a video of Teo’s claims shared on the portal.
DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) had also interrupted Saifuddin to assert that several police reports against Teo were lodged in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
Lim also referred to Teo as someone who has “forgotten his roots”, prompting opposition lawmaker Datuk Radzi Jidin (Putrajaya-PN) to cite Standing Order 36(9) on how MPs shall not refer to the conduct or character of other MPs or public servants during debates.
“There is no need to bring him down to that level. (Teo) was just expressing his academic views. Bagan (Lim) should be made to correct or retract his statement,” Radzi said.
After Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul concurred with Radzi’s view, Lim retracted his statement, but appeared to stand by his comment, saying: “I agree with the speaker’s order, but he (Teo) really has forgotten. He’s forgotten everything.”
Previously, Teresa Kok (Seputeh-PH) had urged police to investigate Teo for alleging that Chinese schools propagate racism against Malays, with the DAP lawmaker condemning Teo’s statement as “twisting facts and distorting relationships” between the Malay and Chinese community.
In response to Kok’s remarks, which were made during her parliamentary debate on the royal address, Teo reportedly doubled down on his claims and said Kok was in “denial” over the actual situation faced by the Chinese community. – March 11, 2024