MELAKA, Oct 31 — The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (CUEPACS) has urged parties not to condemn or politicise the solidarity shown by civil servants to the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Its president Datuk Dr Adnan Mat said this was because there were no restrictions on civil servants including those at educational institutions in showing support for the humanitarian crisis.
“We are aware that there are politicians who are uncomfortable or issue statements asking for action to be taken against civil servants, especially teachers who are running the (Palestine) Solidarity Week in schools,” he said.
According to Adnan, there should be no issue with conducting the programmes, as civil servants stood with the government’s policy on supporting Palestine.
“Therefore, don’t see the chanting, dressing or performances as a threat to the country, but rather a sign of how Malaysians stand in solidarity with Palestine, which is currently being threatened with ethnic cleansing by the Israeli regime,” he said after inaugurating the MADANI@CUEPACS Agro Sales programme at Dataran MBMB, Ayer Keroh here today.
He was commenting on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) implementation of the Palestine Solidarity Week from Oct 29-Nov 3 with the aim of educating humanitarian values, including human rights and courtesy among students, which also involved vocational colleges, matriculation colleges and teacher education institutes across the country.
However, some politicians have voiced objections to the programme, saying that schools should remain a neutral space for learning and growth, and urged the Ministry of Education to review the decision to organise it in schools and public educational institutions.
Meanwhile, Adnan said CUEPACS also did not want its members to become victims by having action taken against them, as they were acting in accordance with the guidelines issued.
