Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching (centre) speaks to students during a visit to SMK Bandar Puchong (1) January 8, 2020. — Picture by Choo Choy May

PUCHONG, Jan 8 — Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching refused to comment today on rumours that some SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong (1) teachers were complicit in lodging complaints against the school’s Chinese New Year decoration.

Amid rumours those teachers were members of Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) that had threatened legal action against the school, Teo said her ministry will only act on the matter after receiving a report on the incident.

“We haven’t gotten the report. We will have to look at the report before we decide,” she replied briefly when asked if any investigation or action will be taken against the teachers, if the rumours are true.

On Monday, lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, who is also vice-president of the fledgling Putra, threatened to file a police report against SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong (1) in Pusat Bandar Puchong for its “religious” Chinese New Year decoration.

The lawyer claimed the decoration to be “unconstitutional”. He further claimed that Muslim parents had complained about the decoration, which they see as an attempt to propagate a non-Islam religion to students.

Khairul later claimed the school principal, Rohani Mohd Noor, promised in an email reply to take down all the Chinese New Year decorations.

When asked about the ministry’s response should this incident recur in other schools, Teo said: “The schools can always refer to the ministry in any such cases before deciding what to do.”

“The ministry will empower and stand with teachers and headmasters who promote unity and diversity.

“We believe there is no better place than schools to promote multiculturalism and diversity of races and schools are good places to expose children to all races,” she said.

Teo said the school had been putting up such decorations for more than a decade, and has done the same for other celebrations such as Aidilfitri and Deepavali as well.

She expressed her perplexity at it becoming an issue now.

“I believe this is not the only school doing so [putting up decorations] hence I do not see why it should become an issue,” added Teo.