In a statement, the ministry said that plans to introduce khat had been around since 2014. They had also engaged linguists and educationists to discuss the proposal.

“Khat is an integral part of Malaysia’s national identity and Bahasa Malaysia, which is the national language and the language of unity.”

The ministry went on to point out that khat appears on the coat of arms for Malaysia and various states, as well as on banknotes.

“Hence, we will proceed with introducing khat as scheduled in a manner that is easily understood and which will not burden teachers and students.”

The ministry’s plans to introduce khat drew protests from Chinese educationist groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, which said this would further burden students and teachers.

They also said this had nothing to do with mastering the national language.

The two groups also claimed that khat is “not suitable” to be part of the Bahasa Melayu subject.

Some 138 DAP grassroots office bearers, including 13 state assemblymen, have urged DAP ministers to object to such plans.

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said there was nothing wrong in the move to include khat, saying it would expose students to the art and should not be politicised.