In a statement, Lim said the then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had given the green light to recognise the UEC before the conclusion of PH’s five-year term.

“At the DAP national retreat held in early 2019, Mahathir was asked this question and his answer gave confidence that the UEC would be recognised before the conclusion of the five-year term of PH.

“The UEC would have been recognised if the PH government had governed for five years as was its mandate instead of being toppled in 22 months by the Sheraton Move,” said Lim.

He said he was reminded about PH’s goal to recognise the UEC when he received a copy of the 2017 FMT report titled “Chinese schools promote unity, says Malay UEC grad”.

He claimed that the article is a must-read for those who “want to go against the constitution and close down Chinese primary schools”.

In the report, auditor Farah Halijah Halim related how her primary and secondary school education in Chinese schools had taught her to interact better with those of other races.

Farah said everyone at school mingled freely with those of other races, proving opponents of vernacular schools – who claimed that anything other than national schools failed to promote unity among multiracial Malaysians – were wrong.

The non-recognition of the UEC, a school-leaving examination for Chinese-medium high schools, is said to be one of the reasons Chinese supporters of DAP lost their confidence with PH.