This is a follow up from my previous post.

Some people have criticised the uncle/guardian for posting the matter on Facebook, and blamed that because of his actions, this whole case has gone out of proportion because of the involvement of media. Some also pointed out that his actions have caused the student involved to face unnecessary shame and embarrassment.

I do agree that it is very unfortunate that the poor student has become the victim of the situation. I cannot imagine what she has to go through. Can the teachers and the principal see this student neutrally anymore? Will they be able to treat this fellow student without bias - and not see her as the "troublemaker" who is hurting or threatening their iron rice bowl? Does she have to transfer to another school now? I empathised and I reiterate that it is really unfortunate that she has to become the victim of the situation.

Could this whole thing go to a different, more positive direction? Yes, definitely. If the issue was settled on good terms, ie. both the school and student/parent side found a win-win solution, all this drama could have been avoided. Although I have to admit, I am rather glad that the issue has gained national attention.

I have friends and I know others who think that this issue about baju kurung seems to be too trivial, and are of the opinion that we should (and I quote) "move on" and focus on more critical issues ie. the quality of our education. I have to disagree with this. Yes, this baju kurung is indeed very trivial but why are schools creating more and more rules related to this kind of "discipline"? Our children are being sent to school for education, not to get "military training" standards imposed on them. The fact that schools spend so much time thinking about creating new rules shows that they do not think that these issues are trivial. I for one, think this matter is trivial but when we begin to dig deeper into why such rulings are created we will know that there are many underlying issues and concerns that are unresolved. It may be the case of opening a can of worms, but I think it may be worth taking the risk to make schools a better and healthier environment.

Back to the criticism. I think some people may have already forgotten the fact that the parent had tried to negotiate with the school but failed. It must have been frustrating, for having a voice but letting it fall on deaf ears. So I think quite naturally, he posted about his experience and got the media's attention. This is very similar to many other stories that have been caught by the media. Remember, we are no longer people without voice because we have social media. So why not use it to make a difference? The uncle has probably posted on Facebook to rally support from people, and I believe many people would have supported that his niece has the right to go to school and the school has no right to stop her just because she is wearing a baju kurung.

One more thing, I am utterly disgusted that the principal has the guts to lie and use the standard response used commonly by people to cover up. Yes, the standard being "misinterpreted" or "miscommunication happened" defense. But how things have turned because someone has the evidence to debunk whatever he had said about miscommunication. Ya, someone posted a copy of the rule book by the school that states that non-Muslim students are not allowed to wear baju kurung. This rule is not new but finally, something that is contained has burst, and this is the effect of it. But again I say, it is unfortunate that a student has to become the victim of the situation.

Perhaps if only parents have been more involved in school, they will not be so surprised that so many schools have come up with their own rules that seem to be rather oppressive. I do not have issues with rules but they must be rational and fair.