‘Insensitive to hold briefing on Deepavali eve’

An assemblyman slams the Education Ministry for being insensitive to Indian teachers by holding a compulsory briefing for the SPM and STPM examinations a day before Deepavali.

GEORGE TOWN: A DAP state representative here has called on the Education Ministry to cancel its compulsory briefing for teachers invigilating in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examinations on Nov 1.

Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer slammed the ministry for being insensitive to Indian teachers who would be celebrating Deepavali the next day.

He demanded that the ministry change the briefing to another date if the Barisan Nasional federal government was serious about upholding its “1Malaysia” spirit and not just using it as a political slogan.

“The ministry’s scheduled compulsory briefing has caused the teachers celebrating Deepavali much anxiety and anguish.

“The DAP called on the Education Ministry to immediately cancel and re-schedule the briefing to another date,” said Rayer in a statement today.

He also called on the Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan to speak up on the matter and compel the ministry re-schedule the briefing.

He said if the ministry failed to respond positively, it would only prove that the federal government was being insensitive to the Hindus in this country.

“It also proves that Kamalanathan and his party, the MIC, could not do anything about it,” said Rayer.