KUALA LUMPUR – Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general Anthony Loke today praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the only leader to have shown the courage to address and resolve the long-standing Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issue.
Speaking at the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Convention at the Persada International Convention Centre in Johor, Loke noted that no previous prime minister had dared to act, despite repeatedly promising UEC recognition in their manifestos, Bernama reported.
“I salute the Prime Minister. He has the courage to address this issue. No previous Prime Minister, no previous government, dared to resolve this matter. When the Prime Minister implements it, they say he is selling out the Malays, even though when they wanted votes from the Chinese, they agreed. This is hypocrisy,” he said.
Loke, who is also Transport Minister, stressed that the facts show more than 80 per cent of UEC students also sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam, including 9,580 out of 10,944 candidates last year.
“UEC students also sit for the SPM. The UEC is equivalent to the A-Level qualification and is used as an entry qualification for universities, but our basic requirement still requires candidates to possess an SPM certificate with at least a credit in Bahasa Melayu and a pass in History. This is a very clear requirement,” he said.
He credited the Prime Minister for taking decisive action, contrasting it with past leaders, including former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who had previously promised UEC recognition in their manifestos but never implemented it.
“When they wanted Chinese votes, they agreed. Now that PMX is implementing it, they accuse PMX of selling out the Malays and say it is DAP’s agenda. This is hypocrisy,” Loke said.
The remarks came after the Higher Education Ministry announced that the Cabinet had agreed on several measures involving entry pathways for students from tahfiz institutions, private schools, and Chinese Independent Secondary Schools into public universities.
Loke reaffirmed DAP’s commitment to Bahasa Melayu as the national language, emphasising that Malaysians should be encouraged to learn multiple languages. “Bahasa Melayu will remain our national language forever. We want Malaysians to master various languages, including Malay, Chinese, English, Tamil and even Arabic. This is the philosophy of the Madani Government,” he said. – May 17, 2026