SUBANG JAYA, Aug 2 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should be issuing statements that unite Malaysians, Lim Guan Eng said today in response to the Umno leader’s suggestion yesterday to abolish vernacular education for the sake of racial unity.

The DAP secretary-general disagreed with Ahmad Zahid’s proposal, saying vernacular education has a place in multiracial Malaysia.

“Here in DAP, we hope that the DPM would not play a role in breaking the people apart…. we do not agree with such a statement at all,” Lim told a press conference at the Empire Hotel today.

“We also hope the DPM would make a stand or issue statements that unite the people instead.”

In an interview published in Berita Harian yesterday, Ahmad Zahid was quoted saying that racial unity is possible if the country adopts a single-stream “national” education system and abolishes vernacular schools.

The deputy prime minister’s remarks comes following the July 12 riots at Low Yat Plaza that left five people injured.

The melee at the popular tech mall reportedly started after a simple phone theft triggered rumours on social media that a Chinese trader had sold a Malay youth a counterfeit unit.

The rumour subsequently led to calls to boycott the “cheating” Chinese traders and the complex itself, as well as the subsequent violence where five were injured.