PUCHONG: The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) has been turned into a highly racialised issue and politics must be removed from it, said UEC task force chairman Eddin Khoo (pic).

He said the final report on the recognition of the examination certificate is currently undergoing an internal discussion.

It was reported that the task force was to meet the Education Ministry yesterday to submit the report.

“We took a year to draft it, all the big concerns were identified and addressed.

“It’s a complex issue and an elaborate process, ” he said yesterday.

“The decision whether to recognise UEC is up to the government. We are fact-finding, independent and give suggestions.

“I hope the report will be taken seriously and that this culture of having independent inquiries to explore issues of great national significance becomes more of a practice for our country and a way for us to resolve issues.”Khoo also said the matter must be looked at as a broader education issue and within the context of a plural system the country adopts.“I’m still hoping to engage with and have an open session with parliamentarians to get their feedback.

“It’s been a controversial issue for close to four decades; the UEC must be put in full context once and for all, so that people can understand it for what it actually is, ” Khoo added.

When asked if he met with the task force, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik told reporters that he was on medical leave. The taskforce is made up of Khoo, Dong Zong deputy president Datuk Tan Yew Sing (who is also Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce president) and Muslim Islamic Youth Movement of Malaysia president Mohamad Raimi Abdul Rahim.