KUCHING, Nov 11 — A senior Sarawak minister stressed that there is no need for a Muslim religious teacher, no matter the qualification, to head the non-religious SMK Sungai Paoh located in a Christian Dayak area in the interior of Sarikei.
Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing pointed out the choice was made more questionable by the rise in claims of alleged “rampant” conversion of native students in Sarawak’s rural schools.
“It is legitimate and reasonable for parents and students, majority of whom are not Muslims, to question the rationale of putting an ustaz from Kelantan to head it,” he said.
“Thus, the position of an ustaz to head a non-religious school is looked upon with scepticism.”
Masing noted that he had last year expressed outrage at the secret conversion of 50 Dayak students from SMK Balai Ringgin in Serian Division to Islam by a non-governmental organisation from Selangor with the help two religious teachers from the school.
The Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president then urged the Education Ministry to immediately withdraw the appointment of ustaz Roslin Che Mood as principal of a Christian Dayak-dominated school as it has created an uproar among the Dayak community.
“The ministry should have looked at this appointment from a religious angle and political pronouncement of Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem in appointing more local teachers in Sarawak,” he said.
Roslin reported for duty yesterday as the principal of the school.
Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian, who also had expressed his concern at the appointment, said the fears of the parents are not misplaced or unfounded.
“Although the government has denied that such conversions have happened, or played down the incidences, the parents and villagers in the rural areas have different stories to tell and are wary of teachers from Peninsula Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
On Saturday, Sarawak minister in charge of education Datuk Fatimah Abdullah asked Dayak parents and groups not to be “racially and religiously sensitive” over the appointment, saying that Roslin is not a religious extremist out to convert Dayak students to Islam.
Fatimah, who is also the state minister of welfare, women and family development, said Roslin is not a member of the Islamic party, PAS, as alleged.
