I REFER to Mr Steve Tan's letter last Saturday ('Don't
politicise mother tongue, offer a viable alternative') and
Thursday's report, 'Govt has made 3 commitments on MTL: Low Thia
Khiang'.
The three commitments stated are my understanding of the
Government's position on mother tongue language (MTL) after Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong's press conference. I asked for government
rebuttal if my impression was wrong to prevent a recurrence of the
unhealthy tension over the three weeks when the Government remained
silent after the Education Minister's interview, while the
groundswell of opinion escalated to boiling point.
I had received emotional feedback through e-mail and on the
ground. If my intention was to politicise the issue for profit as
alleged by Mr Tan, I would have acted earlier instead of waiting
till the Prime Minister had clarified the matter. I responded when
asked by the press for my reaction after the PM's press
conference.
I agree the issue is not simple and is sensitive. It reflects
the kind of Singapore and Singaporeans we want in the long term,
and concerns not just the immediate livelihood of Singaporeans.
That was why I spent time researching the issue and did not jump
into the fray at the height of public discontent.
However, it is inevitable that if the issue is not resolved
satisfactorily, I will have to escalate it to a political level, as
I am not convinced of the need and justification for lowering the
MTL weighting at the Primary School Leaving Examination.
It may also become an election issue even though it is
sensitive, as the Workers' Party and I would have to articulate our
conscience and beliefs. We also have to respond to the ground
reaction and serve as a voice of the people to air their
grievances, dissatisfaction in policy matters and sense of
injustice, to safeguard their rights and interests.
Hence, I make no apology for cornering the Government and
scoring political points, if the Government itself allows this to
happen.
It is wise for the Government to deny the Workers' Party and
myself the chance to score political points with good policies
beneficial to the people, and to be sensitive to the ground to
resolve issues before they are escalated into political issues.
This makes for good governance which will benefit Singaporeans,
promote healthy political discourse on policy issues, build a
mechanism of checks and balances in our political system, and
contribute to a vibrant civil society - a culture which the
Workers' Party seeks to entrench in our nation's political
development.
Low Thia Khiang
