The Malaysian Insight

BEHIND the main canteen of SMK St Francis, Malacca – a school built in 1880 by missionaries – is a smaller eating space with a sign that reads “Kantin Melayu” (Malay canteen).  

The school, better known by its former name St Francis Institution or SFI, is one of at least four other mission schools and a handful of vernacular schools in the state that have built a second canteen – for Muslim pupils and staff.

This second canteen is run by a different Muslim operator from the main canteen.

A former SFI pupil, who only wanted to be known as Matt Ogus, told The Malaysian Insight that Muslims were not allowed to eat at the “non-Muslim” canteen. If they were caught, they would be reprimanded by the ustaz (religious teacher).

“The two canteens use different plates and cutleries. After eating, the pupils have to put them in separate bins. They will be washed separately,” said the 18-year-old.

The Malaysian Insight was informed of this two-canteen policy in certain schools by a reader, at the height of the debate on whether Malaysia should ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

ICERD is a United Nations convention which commits its members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding among all races.

Putrajaya said on Friday that it will not ratify the convention following anger from Malay rights groups and opposition political parties.

A canteen operator at one of the schools that The Malaysian Insight visited said his family have been running the main canteen for decades, but a lot has changed over the years.

The operator said even though the canteen is certified halal, Malay teachers and some pupils refuse to eat there.

“Last time, there were more Chinese and Indian teachers. But now a lot more Malay teachers are coming in, and they only want a 100% Malay operator.

“Even if you employ Malay staff to help you, they don’t want to eat here. They want their own people. We have no choice. This is Malaysia now,” he said.

More comfortable

The principals of some of these schools told The Malaysian Insight that there was no order from the state government or Education Ministry to build the extra canteen.

The decision was made after Muslim staff and parents said they were more comfortable eating food prepared by Muslim operators.

“The food sold at the main canteen is halal, of course. But some operators are non-Muslim. They (staff and parents) said that they are more comfortable if Muslims serve their food,” said SMK (P) Methodist principal Tay Kim Chee.

Tay added that several schools started adding the “Malay canteens” about 10 years ago.

SMJK Yok Bin principal Goh Tai Peng said the additional canteen in his school – a Chinese vernacular school – was built to cater to the 50-odd Muslim pupils there.

“Halal is not just no pork. It also involves the handling of food, such as meat. If the (non-Muslim) operator does not get his supply from a halal supplier, he cannot claim the food to be halal,” Goh said.

Mission and vernacular schools in Malacca set up the additional canteen to cater to the increasing number of Malay pupils and staff, he said.

However, a former principal who declined to be named, said that it was widely speculated that the former state government had pressured the schools to build the additional canteen.

“It was not in black and white, so no proof. But you can say it was (the former government),” the former principal said.

Nothing to do with racial segregation

Malacca State Education Department director Abu Bakar Saharim, however, said the separate canteen had “nothing to do with racial segregation” but to give pupils more options.

Abu Bakar said he was unsure if this was an order from the previous government, adding that the running of canteens is under the schools’ jurisdiction. The government only provides guidelines, he said.

“Non-halal food is not allowed at all. But there are those who care more about this, who are more religious.

“Why not have separate canteens? It only gives the pupils more choices. This is nothing to do with segregation of races.

“This has been going on for a long time, why pick on it now? It is a non-issue. But if this becomes viral, we will get a directive from above,” Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insight.

An officer at the Education Ministry’s pupils’ welfare unit said it was the schools’ prerogative to take on more than one canteen operator.

“The core operator needs to apply through the ministry, but subsequent operators can apply through the individual schools. It’s up to them to take on more than one operator, if they see fit.”

A check with the Kuala Lumpur Education Department revealed that none of the mission or vernacular schools here has a second canteen for Muslims.

The Penang Education Department said while none of the schools in the state has dual canteens, some of the large ones have segregated sections for Muslims.

Illogical

Another former SFI pupil, who only gave his name as Vin, said his Malay friends would often give him money to buy food from the “Chinese canteen”, and then eat it discreetly.

“They can’t go because the ustaz will stop them and then during religious classes, the ustaz will tell them that the Chinese canteen doesn’t have halal food.

“I don’t understand why (there is a need for a separate canteen) when there’s a certificate posted (at the canteen) that says ‘Halal’.

“When I ask my Malay friends this, they tell me they don’t understand either. I feel angry when I think about this. It is not logical at all,” said the 18-year-old.

The Malaysian Insight has contacted the Education Ministry and an official said they are investigating the matter. – November 25, 2018.