Rafizi: 80 percent Chinese students still in the national system, pointless to make UEC a political issue

UP to 80 percent of Chinese students still follow the national education system while the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is just a small stream that offers additional education opportunities in Mandarin.

Former PKR Deputy President, Datuk Seri Mohd Rafizi Ramli said that the UEC issue is often used as 'political platform' by various parties, though it only involves a small numbern of students.

"Out of 400,000 Chinese students in secondary schools, only about 90,000 take the UEC. Even that is only about 20 percent," he said through the Yang Berhenti Menteri broadcast.

Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim explained that any demands involving issues of language, religion and race must consider the position of Bahasa Melayu as the national language as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

He stressed that the government would continue to defend the country's fundamental principles, including upholding Bahasa Melayu as the language of knowledge and national unity.

Meanwhile, Rafizi said that if the UEC issue is not discussed rationally and objectively, it will continue to be a rerun.

“Every time the election approaches, this issue comes back into play. That is why I invite us to take three simple steps, namely first understand two big perspectives: the sensitivity of the Malays and the need for the Mandarin language which is increasingly becoming a major advantage.

“After that, we will only check the numbers. When these numbers are considered, we will see that the narrative of ‘all Chinese students running away from the system’ is not accurate.

"If we are really serious about building a competitive nation, we need to stop using education as a fuel-to-fuel emotions and start thinking about how Malaysia can move towards a trilingual society (three languages) without rejecting the national elements that shape our identity," he said. – December 13, 2025