Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional opposition tipped for comeback in racially charged Johor by-election
- Coalition member the Malaysian Chinese Association is expected to clinch the seat for Tanjung Piai as disillusionment with the government grows
- Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has visited the constituency and accused the opposition of riling up racial sentiment
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), which was decimated in national polls last year when it managed to hold on to only one of 222 parliamentary seats, is tipped to clinch Tanjung Piai in Johor when voters head to the polls this weekend.
But the opposition coalition member has also been taken to task after news reports emerged alleging it was opposed to the teaching of Arabic calligraphy at schools in the Muslim majority nation.
The organisation quickly shot down the accusation on Friday, with president Wee Ka Siong clarifying that his party had “never stated we are against it”.
The issue of khat, a form of Arabic-based Jawi script, became national news in August when the Education Ministry mooted introducing it into the national syllabus as a mandatory topic, before walking back the proposal.
The plan gave rise to complaints about the “Islamisation” of education in multireligious Malaysia, where racial lines are firmly drawn and identity politics play a large role in policymaking.
