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Barring Karpal’s memorial in school reveals Putrajaya’s double standards, say opposition

Penang plans remembrance events for late Karpal

Putrajaya's move to stop a memorial service for Karpal Singh (pic) from being held at a school hall on claims that it was a "political event" smacks of double standards as the Barisan Nasional government does it all the time, opposition lawmakers said.

They gave examples of schools being used by BN politicians to dish out government aid to students and at the same time push the BN political agenda.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok described the Education Ministry's move yesterday as "ridiculous".

She also questioned the double standards practised and the ministry's claim that Karpal's memorial was a political event.

"What about when BN uses school halls for their political programmes, especially in rural areas and during a general election?" Kok asked.

She expected, however, that this unpopular move will work against the BN, and result in more people turning up for the memorial.

Karpal's memorial service, organised by the DAP, was initially scheduled to be held at the SJKC Chung Kwo in Jalan Loke Yew tonight. DAP had applied to the school for permission to use the hall but that was rejected yesterday morning on the directive of the ministry.

In a press conference earlier yesterday, DAP acting chairman Tan Kok Wai announced that the ministry had denied the party the use of the school hall for the memorial service on the grounds that it was a political event.

Given the objection by the ministry, the memorial event will now take place at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 8pm tonight.

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad agreed with Kok, saying that Umno members – who were not even MPs or assemblyman – were using school halls for their political activities.

"Even an Umno division head used a school hall here in Shah Alam to dish out his RM100 aid.

"In contrast, Pakatan Rakyat MPs are not allowed into schools for any function, not even for PIBG (parent teacher association) meetings while the MB's (Selangor menteri besar) photo cannot be hung in schools," he said, adding that the move to reject the holding of Karpal's memorial at a school hall was nothing short of crazy.

PAS Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat said it was quite normal for the education department to do this.

"They don't even let us go into schools to speak to the teachers and pupils," he said.

Che Rosli said during the recent Kajang by-election, the government had used school halls and fields to campaign but on the pretext of pushing goverment programmes.

DAP Seremban MP Anthony Loke said the ministry’s move showed that BN was scared even of the veteran politician's shadow.

Loke said in the first place, Karpal's memorial service was not a political event, but was opened to people of all races and religion to honour the late Bukit Gelugor MP.

Loke also pointed out that while it was common for opposition politicians not to be allowed into schools, in this case, they were not going to give "political speeches to teachers and students".

"We just wanted to rent the hall to hold the memorial because unlike the government, we cannot afford to hold our events in five-star hotels and convention centres, we don't have that kind of financial resources.

"And being the opposition, our options are further limited because we can't use balai raya and dewan (community halls) in the same way Barisan Nasional can," he added.

Loke told The Malaysian Insider that Putrajaya was using high-handed tactics by stopping the school from renting out the premises to them, adding that these partially-aided schools depended on such rentals for their upkeep.

Karpal was killed early last Thursday in an accident on the North-South Expressway near Kampar while on the way to Penang.

His aide, Indian national Michael Cornelius, 39, was also killed.

Some 25,000 people attended his funeral with state honours in Penang on Sunday. – April 24, 2014.