PETALING JAYA, Aug 7 ― There is no reason for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration to further delay the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said today.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik said recently the new PH government has five years to decide whether to recognise the school-leaving certificate for Chinese independent high schools and would only do so after extensive research and feedback from stakeholders are taken into account.

“There is no reason to further delay recognising UEC as it is an expressed undertaking and a promise under the PH Manifesto for GE14,’’ Ti said.

Ti also clarified that the UEC had already undergone extensive review by the previous BN government since it was introduced in 1975, saying the subject of UEC had become a contentious issue as a by-product of the past education ministers such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“The seriousness of recognising UEC was also expressed publicly by Umno leaders riding against a waves of objections, remnants of the sentiments of Tun Dr Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin’s objections as Education Ministers since the UEC was introduced in 1975 some 43 years ago and not 60 years as popularly conveniently quoted by PH leaders.

“Now that sufficient studies have been taken and the correct political decision is just within months, the said Education Minister should not avoid making the right decision or cave in to political pressure when they have promised to do so upon obtaining the political mandate in the last GE14,’’ he said.

Subsequently, Ti also lambasted DAP, which now has the biggest Chinese representation in Parliament, and claimed the party was not sincere in recognising the UEC.

“DAP in the past lambasted MCA but is DAP now admitting defeat even under 100 days, despite a bigger mandate given to them, having 42 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and six Cabinet ministers and seven deputy ministers?

“DAP’s obvious failure to deliver their promise of UEC recognition upon taking over the government is truly pathetic. These prolongings are symptomatic of PH’s and DAP’s systematic and premeditated lies designed purely to capture Chinese voters,’’ he added.