KUALA LUMPUR – Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli has called out Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek over a video showing schoolchildren delivering a birthday message to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The video, which has been circulating on social media, features pupils reciting: “Happy Birthday PMX, We Love You,” a gesture Rafizi says blurs the line between personal admiration and political neutrality in schools.
While acknowledging the minister’s right to express loyalty towards the Prime Minister, Rafizi stressed that such displays should not involve children.
"We should not mix our personal desires or agendas with children's education.
“If she truly admires PMX (Prime Minister) and wants to show her loyalty, a personal message would suffice, there’s no need to involve schoolchildren," he said in a social media post on Tuesday.
He warned that such practices risk setting an unhealthy precedent, where future education ministers might do the same to demonstrate allegiance to different political figures.
“Schools must not be entangled with politics or personal views. If someone else did this, I’d be angry too. But now that it’s a minister from PKR, I honestly feel embarrassed,” he said.
Rafizi added that he himself has always exercised caution in dealing with schools during his tenure as an elected representative. – AWANI