Deputy Education Minister Puad Zarkashi today said that the question on the Bersih 3.0 rally in a recent SPM trial examination was “not a problem”.

“As long as it does not affect the racial or religious sensitivities or malign any individual, I feel (the question) is not a problem... It’s up to the rakyat to decide,” Puad told Malaysiakini .

NONE Met after visiting SJK (T) St Joseph in Sentul today, Puad ( right ) added that the ministry did not set the question and has received no complaints on the matter.

“I have received no reports. The question was in the trial examination, not from the ministry. It’s from the school, so we leave the matter to the school".

A photograph of the question referring to the Bersih 3.0 rally, from an SPM trial examination paper at a school in Johor Bahru, was recently spread on Facebook.

The question, part of the Moral Education subject paper, featured two photographs of incidents during the April 28 rally.

“Is it appropriate for a citizen to participate in an illegal assembly?” the question read.

The answer given by the student - “ tidak wajar (not appropriate)” - was ticked as correct.

'Students were not asked to join politics'

When asked if the question would encourage pupils to get involved in politics, Puad said "no" as the question was not pertaining to any party.

“I don’t think the question was meant to encourage students to start politicking as I think the question was aimed at making them understand good values, not politics.

NONE “The question was not ‘which party should be supported’. The question asked whether it was appropriate or not and did not instruct the student to join politics,” Puad added.

Meanwhile, a photograph ( left ) of yet another Moral Studies paper has surfaced on an online forum JBTalks, featuring a similar question on Bersih, but accompanied by a different photograph.

However, it was purported on the online site that the paper was from a different school, this time in Segamat.

Earlier, a spokesperson of the national examination board told Malaysiakini that trial examination questions are set by schools or by the state education departments.

Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong denied that the questions came from his ministry or the examination board.

“I don’t know who speculated or set the questions. Yet to create complaints, anyone can draft the questions and say that the ministry did it,” said Wee when met in Parliament today.

NONE Wee ( left ) also stressed that the ministry cannot investigate or take action on unfounded allegations online.

“I cannot act based on any Tom, Dick or Harry’s allegations. If it is from an agency under the ministry, then we can investigate.

“Just because materials were put up online, we have to take action? We have to check whether it is true or not,” he reasoned.

But whatever the case, Wee explained that trial exam questions were set by the state or the district education offices in each state and not by his ministry.