KOTA KINABALU, 24 October — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement that school halls must not be used for events involving alcohol, even after school hours, reveals a troubling lack of understanding of Sabah’s multicultural and community-based realities.
In Sabah, many school halls are not just classrooms after hours — they are the heart of our towns and kampungs. These facilities host alumni dinners, wedding receptions, and charity events that help raise much-needed income for school repairs, maintenance, and student activities. When federal allocations fall short, community initiatives fill the gap. To impose blanket prohibitions without addressing chronic underfunding is both impractical and unjust.
Education, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), is a shared responsibility. Yet for decades, Sabah’s say in policy and administration has been steadily eroded. This episode shows again why education autonomy must be restored. Decisions about the use of local school facilities should be made by local school boards, parents, and communities, not dictated by faraway ministries unfamiliar with Sabah’s ground realities.
Sabahans have long practised genuine multicultural respect. Non-Muslim alumni holding closed-door, responsible functions that include moderate alcohol consumption should not be moralised or stigmatised. Unity is not achieved through uniformity, but through mutual understanding and local wisdom.
Private and mission schools in Sabah, many of which predate Malaysia itself, such as St. Michael’s School in Sandakan and St. Francis Convent in Kota Kinabalu, have historically relied on their alumni and local communities to sustain operations. They receive little or no government funding, yet continue to nurture generations of Sabahans. Imposing uniform restrictions on their activities disregards their unique role, history, and autonomy. Respecting the rights of these institutions is part of respecting the spirit of MA63 and the multicultural fabric that defines Sabah.
Schools are indeed for learning, but they are also where our communities grow, gather, and give back. Let Sabah decide how our schools can best serve our people, in line with the principle that Sabah’s destiny must be shaped by Sabahans themselves.
Lawyer Yong Yit Jee
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)
Supreme Council Member cum Vice Youth Chief