KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 ― Gerakan’s Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai has clarified that he was misquoted over his comments on Islamic schools, but expressed regret over any offence that resulted.

Lau said that a Thursday news report by news portal Free Malaysia Today had misquoted him as purportedly saying, "it is religious schools and not vernacular schools that are likely to threaten unity in the country”.

"I wish to clarify that the sentence did not transpire in my explanation during the press conference, as my actual statement was ‘religious schools and vernacular schools are not a hindrance to national unity’,” he said in a statement dated yesterday and posted on Gerakan’s website today.

Lau, who is also the chairman of Gerakan’s central bureau of publicity and new media, said he had on Thursday cited the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2015 to compare the country’s different education systems and his findings that the vernacular education system were not causing disunity.

"My main concern which I wished to highlight during the press conference was to call on the government to consider heightened measures on the possibility of penetration of extremist ideas and views from external influences into religious schools.

"My concern was made in pursuant of a previous statement made by Deputy Minister cum Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in July 2016 that Home Ministry and Jakim will monitor all religious institutions to ensure no Daesh militant activities,” he said, referring to the Islamic State (IS) terror group by its other name of Daesh.

He said he had also then called on all to support and endeavour for secularism to be enhanced in all aspects of society, particularly in politics, education and governance.

"I wish to reiterate categorically that I respect Islam as the religion of the Federation, and the right of every religious group to establish and maintain institutions for the education of children in its own religion.

"I regret my statement has been misinterpreted and in the best interest of peace and stability, I retract my remarks and apologise if [sic] any offence caused,” he said, adding that he hoped the issue will not be prolonged.

 The remark attributed to Lau drew criticism from Islamist party PAS and its splinter party Parti Amanah Negara.

Bumiputra rights group Perkasa’s Islamic affairs bureau chairman Dr Amini Amir Abdullah yesterday criticised Lau’s reported remarks, going on to say that government-funded religious schools are fully composed of Bumiputra students and that such funding was in line with the "special position” of Malays and Islam in the Federal Constitution.

"But the giving of any aid to SJKC and non-Bumiputra students is actually against the Federal Constitution,” the Perkasa man said in a statement yesterday.