Sabah politicians give mixed reactions on teachers’ involvement in politics

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah leaders have given mixed reactions to the involvement of teachers in politics.

Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Datuk Yee Moh Chai said there was nothing wrong with teachers taking part in politics.

“I think this is the right of any individual. But if you are a teacher, policeman, or someone holding a public post, I think you have to be mindful of the responsibility that you are holding,” Yee said, when met at Gaya Street during the party’s Chinese New Year walkabout, today.

Yee, however, maintained that teachers should be professional, and should not be biased and impart their personal political ideologies.

DAP’s Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin meanwhile said civil servants should be politically impartial but also stressed they have the right to get involved in politics.

Citing concerns that educators might use their position to influence young voters, Chan believed political influence can come from many sources, be it from parents and online platforms like social media and YouTube.

“But I do hope the prime minister, when announcing this, has noble intentions.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, I think, should justify his reasons in doing all this,” he said.

Meanwhile, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said there should be a red line for teachers and the whole civil service when it comes to this issue.

“They will try to indoctrinate schoolgoing children. Try to influence them. If this happens, there’s already some sort of bias in our education system.

“The education ministry is created to ensure our young get the education they need. Not for other reasons,” he said.

He believed that teachers would still mix politics into the education system if they were also a member of any political party.

Shafie also expressed surprise that teachers’ involvement in politics was not allowed during the Pakatan Harapan era, but that the practice is now making a comeback.

The government announced that school teachers under the Education Ministry nationwide are now allowed to get involved in politics with immediate effect.

Ismail Sabri said this permission also extends to the staff of the Community Development Division. – The Vibes, January 23, 2022