Fadhli said he was sorry for “troubling” Pang by making her produce her results in the SPM and UPSR examinations, in which she scored straight As for both.
“I would like to apologise for raising the issue of the Pakatan Harapan candidate’s education background at the UPSR and SPM level.
“This has indirectly revealed that the candidate graduated from vernacular schools. With this apology, I hope that this issue will continue until polling day for the by-election,” he said in a Facebook post
When contacted, the PAS information chief said he hoped this “revelation” of Pang’s education background would be remembered by voters at the ballot boxes.
Earlier, Pang revealed that she had scored straight As for SPM and UPSR after Fadhli challenged her to state where she completed her studies, saying it “would be interesting to know”.
Her SPM and UPSR result slips showed that she was an alumnus of SM Chung Hua Port Dickson and SJKC (national-type Chinese school) On Pong in Ampang.
Meanwhile, DAP publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching took a swipe at Fadhli over his sarcastic Facebook post, saying the PAS man appeared uncomfortable with the fact that Pang came from an SJKC.
Teo pointed out that there were some PAS leaders who sent their children to SJKCs, and that other regular Malay parents did the same, too.
“I hope you can respect the choice of these parents. For this by-election, I hope that all candidates and leaders, regardless of parties, can campaign in a healthy manner and set a good example for the community, so that this nation remains harmonious in its diversity,” she said.
Last month, PAS’s Temerloh MP Salamiah Nor drew ire from netizens for voicing dissatisfaction with vernacular schools while admitting that she sends her child to one.
Dominic Lau, president of Perikatan Nasional component Gerakan, had also defended vernacular schools last month, saying he was evidence that these schools could produce students with a good command of Bahasa Melayu.
This followed renewed calls from Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh for a comprehensive assessment of vernacular schools to strengthen racial harmony and national unity.