COMMENT | Solidarity week has backfired - time to end it

COMMENT | It was in the making. It only needed a gentle nudge from someone in authority. It came despite vociferous objections from parents, civil society organisations, and lawmakers.

“We are looking at the seriousness of dragging school children into becoming part of the global, adult world of protest and not subject young minds to getting embroiled in this Middle East Crisis,” a group of NGOs said.

But did anyone listen? It went through one ear and came out of another of the powers that be.

The Education Ministry, in espousing the misjudged belief that the government knows what’s best for our children, ignored the protests and justified its decision.

Yesterday, we saw the result of that bird-brained idea. In a primary school in Klang, Selangor, we saw “freedom fighters” dressed in Arab garb “capturing” a school where pupils sat on the floor and watched in awe as unwilling witnesses.

It may have been a...