<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>124 nabbed in huge KL protest
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Tear gas used on 3,000 rallying against use of English in schools </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent
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More than 3,000 demonstrators from Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan had gathered at the National Mosque and were marching to the palace when riot police started firing tear gas and water cannon at them. They were protesting against the use of English in schools to teach maths and science. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Kuala Lumpur - A protest against a controversial education policy in Malaysia turned ugly yesterday after riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at more than 3,000 demonstrators.
The fracas paralysed traffic for two hours in downtown Kuala Lumpur, and 124 people were arrested.
It all started after protesters gathered at the National Mosque to rally against the teaching of maths and science in English, a policy known as PPSMI.
Their plan was to march to the national palace to present a memorandum to the King asking for a return to the use of Malay to teach those subjects.
PPSMI was the brainchild of former premier Mahathir Moha-
mad, who felt it could improve Malaysian students' poor English standards.
The move sparked much unhappiness when it was implemented in 2003, and the government is now reviewing it. The first of the primary school pupils to finish six years of studies under the PPSMI graduated last year.
Rural Malays said their children cannot cope with the subjects when taught in English. Others charge that the teaching of Malay is eroded.
Yesterday, busloads of protesters came from states such as Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.
University student Ahmad Nasron, a 24-year-old Kelantan native, said that his 12-year-old sister was among those hurt by the policy.
'Rural kids already have problems with English,' he said. 'How can they use it to learn maths and science? Teachers are not good in it. Parents can't help either.'
The crowd set off at 2pm chanting 'Long live the Malay language', and overwhelmed a line of policemen at the mosque's entrance.
Forty minutes later, riot police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and sprayed marchers with water cannon as they neared the palace.
Only two protest leaders - national laureate Samad Said and former director of Malaysia's Institute of Language and Literature Hassan Ahmad - managed to get past the police to hand the group's memorandum to the King.
The men belong to GMP, a coalition of 14 non-governmental groups that oppose PPSMI and organised the rally.
'This is what we have to go through in order to save our language,' Mr Samad told reporters.
But police defended their actions, saying that they had warned the people not to gather because there was no permit issued for the rally.
Police chief Musa Hassan said that the GMP had initially agreed there would be no demonstrations.
'We had no choice but to use tear gas to disperse the crowd who refused to listen to police warnings,' he said.
The issue could prove to be an early test for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is set to take over the country soon.
Last Friday, he said that Malaysia should not be 'overly obsessed' with protecting the Malay language.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday called for a quick decision on whether or not to keep PPSMI.
'I hope the decision will be made immediately,' he told reporters. 'Otherwise, NGOs (non-governmental organisations) will continue to put pressure and create a bigger issue.'
[email protected]
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Problems with English
'Rural kids already have problems with English. How can they use it to learn maths and science? Teachers are not good in it. Parents can't help either.'
UNDERGRAD AHMAD NASRON, 24, a Kelantan native
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Tear gas used on 3,000 rallying against use of English in schools </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
More than 3,000 demonstrators from Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan had gathered at the National Mosque and were marching to the palace when riot police started firing tear gas and water cannon at them. They were protesting against the use of English in schools to teach maths and science. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Kuala Lumpur - A protest against a controversial education policy in Malaysia turned ugly yesterday after riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at more than 3,000 demonstrators.
The fracas paralysed traffic for two hours in downtown Kuala Lumpur, and 124 people were arrested.
It all started after protesters gathered at the National Mosque to rally against the teaching of maths and science in English, a policy known as PPSMI.
Their plan was to march to the national palace to present a memorandum to the King asking for a return to the use of Malay to teach those subjects.
PPSMI was the brainchild of former premier Mahathir Moha-
mad, who felt it could improve Malaysian students' poor English standards.
The move sparked much unhappiness when it was implemented in 2003, and the government is now reviewing it. The first of the primary school pupils to finish six years of studies under the PPSMI graduated last year.
Rural Malays said their children cannot cope with the subjects when taught in English. Others charge that the teaching of Malay is eroded.
Yesterday, busloads of protesters came from states such as Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.
University student Ahmad Nasron, a 24-year-old Kelantan native, said that his 12-year-old sister was among those hurt by the policy.
'Rural kids already have problems with English,' he said. 'How can they use it to learn maths and science? Teachers are not good in it. Parents can't help either.'
The crowd set off at 2pm chanting 'Long live the Malay language', and overwhelmed a line of policemen at the mosque's entrance.
Forty minutes later, riot police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and sprayed marchers with water cannon as they neared the palace.
Only two protest leaders - national laureate Samad Said and former director of Malaysia's Institute of Language and Literature Hassan Ahmad - managed to get past the police to hand the group's memorandum to the King.
The men belong to GMP, a coalition of 14 non-governmental groups that oppose PPSMI and organised the rally.
'This is what we have to go through in order to save our language,' Mr Samad told reporters.
But police defended their actions, saying that they had warned the people not to gather because there was no permit issued for the rally.
Police chief Musa Hassan said that the GMP had initially agreed there would be no demonstrations.
'We had no choice but to use tear gas to disperse the crowd who refused to listen to police warnings,' he said.
The issue could prove to be an early test for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is set to take over the country soon.
Last Friday, he said that Malaysia should not be 'overly obsessed' with protecting the Malay language.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday called for a quick decision on whether or not to keep PPSMI.
'I hope the decision will be made immediately,' he told reporters. 'Otherwise, NGOs (non-governmental organisations) will continue to put pressure and create a bigger issue.'
[email protected]
<HR width="50%" SIZE=1>
Problems with English
'Rural kids already have problems with English. How can they use it to learn maths and science? Teachers are not good in it. Parents can't help either.'
UNDERGRAD AHMAD NASRON, 24, a Kelantan native
