JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — Pakatan Harapan deputy chairman Anthony Loke has dismissed allegations by certain parties that the government was attempting to replace the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) through the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general, said the facts clearly showed that more than 80 per cent of UEC students also sat for the SPM examination, including 9,580 out of 10,944 students last year.
This had convinced the Cabinet that students from the UEC stream would continue to take the national examination as the foundation of their education.
“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. I salute Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for having the courage to address and resolve issues that have dragged on for decades, whereas previous prime ministers did not dare to act despite making such promises in their manifestos,” he said.
Loke was speaking during the Harapan Convention 2026 at the Persada International Convention Centre in Johor today, which was also attended by Anwar and other coalition leaders.
Recently, the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) announced that the Cabinet had agreed on several decisions involving entry pathways for students from tahfiz institutions, private schools, and Chinese Independent Secondary Schools into public institutions of higher learning.
Loke added that the policy was implemented following a Cabinet mandate, while further details involving additional subjects would be subject to decisions by university senates and the MOHE, which is currently led by a minister from Barisan Nasional (BN).
He also assured that DAP would continue to uphold Bahasa Melayu as the national language and would never undermine its importance within the national education system.
“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,” Loke said.
Meanwhile, he criticised what he described as the hypocrisy of Opposition leaders, particularly from PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN), who are now opposing the move despite previously supporting UEC recognition in their manifestos.
Loke recalled that PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had promoted the “Orange Book” in 2013, which included a promise to recognise the UEC, while former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had also included similar commitments in the “Book of Hope” in 2018.
“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,” he said.
Commenting on criticism by MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who claimed that the recognition of only four UEC subjects was insufficient, Loke said that MCA had been part of the government for decades but failed to resolve the issue.
