YOURSAY 'It is due to the existence of Indian politicians like Kamalanathan in the BN that the Indians are being treated like the most odious rubbish.'

This is not about race or religion, says deputy minister

Versey: Education plays a vital role in nation building and the loyalty and unity of its people in spirit and form promotes a loving and caring society which helps to advance and enhance the nation further.

School is the place where we educate our future generation not only hoping them to achieve academic excellence, it is also the place where they can get to know more about fellow Malaysians of other ethnic groups, learn to care and respect different cultures and traditions, and how to play and live together as one people of the same nation.

Is it not the purpose of promoting national schools? Children tend to look up to their teachers and take them as role models. What kind of example bigoted educators and minister of slave mentality shown to the young minds?

From where did Deputy Education Minister II P Kamalanathan receive his basic education? Doesn't common sense can tell that any renovation work in school ought to be carried out during school holidays to minimise any due disturbances and possible injuries to students, least to say small kids?

Had he not been taught of hygiene when he was in school? Is it acceptable for him to eat in the shower room next to the toilet?

Anonymous #68219004: These students should have been allowed to eat their packed food in one of the classroom during break time. Fasting does not negate the right of non-Muslims their right to eat. If you fast, you don't eat but don't discriminate others the freedom to eat.

It's time our kids are taught it's not wrong nor sinful to mingle or mix with your fellow Malaysians even though you are fasting. Don't levy the guilt trip on young minds. Canteens should be open to serve the purpose it was built for.

No wonder, our education quality is going down the drain. By the way, the school authorities must be punished for this degrading and inhumane act. What have we become as a people?

Ferdtan: Kamalanathan is the right person to be the apologist for Umno. After all, didn't he bend so low to kiss the hand of the ‘Malay first' DPM Muhyiddin Yassin in the 2010 Hulu Selangor parliamentary by-election when he first stood for election?

No wonder he was appointed to be his deputy; he can answer to the press eloquently with impeccable excuses, though no one is buying it.

Maybe the headmaster made an honest but stupid mistake of forcing the non-Muslim students to eat their lunches in a washroom, but it is still no excuse.

One thing is clear from this episode - in this unhealthy climate had long created by Umno conservatives (the Islamic ‘superiority' over other non-Muslims), the headmaster, true to type, was trying to ‘protect' the Muslim students who were fasting from seeing other non-Muslims eating.

So his simple solution was to hide the non-Muslims eating; anywhere will do, even the washroom. The influence of bigoted religious politicians from Umno has now influence the thinking of all government Muslim servants, like the school principal in this case.

Abasir: First one story, now another. First the renovation was in March because of overcrowding, then it was due to a carefully-timed renovation of a glass door leading to the teachers' room two weeks ago, while the parents say that this nonsense of ‘eating in the shower room' started two days into Ramadan.

Of course, hand-kissing Kamalanathan did not ask why a renovation is commissioned during term time and why during Ramadan specifically.

This has all to do with race and religion and Kamalanathan knows it. But he is beholden to Muhyuddin, so how?

Odin: For heaven's sake, Kamalanathan, you may be moronic and much partial to kissing the hands of those you toady up to, but many others are not. This is about race and religion.

We gather that the renovation involves only a glass door in the canteen for teachers, and that a red tape has been used to close off the whole canteen for pupils.

If the bigoted headmaster is really concerned for the pupils affected, he would have arranged for some kind of a simple barricade to be erected to close off the particular door area.

It is due to the existence of Indian politicians like you in BN that the Indians are being treated like the most odious rubbish.

Aries46: Hand-kisser Kamalanathan of all people, the epitome of a subservient Indian, is an interested party and is not the right person to clear the air over this debacle at SK Seri Pristana. He is more interested to cover up for the school authorities than to get to the truth of the matter.

Even his claim that canteen was under renovation is untrue as it was reported that there was no such renovation.

Despite his vehement denial that race or religion was involved it is obvious that the canteen has been shut down during Ramadan to confine non-Muslim students to eat in the shower room away from the sight of the Muslim students.

There appears to be more to this than meets the eye and Kamalanathan's vague statement of appeasement leaves many unanswered questions.

But what is disturbing is that some of our educational institutions could be in the hands of some uncivilised bigots masquerading as educators.

Retnam: March, April, May, June and July are five months. Five months to replace a glass door? People can build a whole house in five months.

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