Chinese hawkers better than mean Chinese Finance Minister

Star Online:

The clarion call is out to help TAR UC

By ILI AQILAH

For a worthy cause: Wa (left) with visitors and vendors at the charity sales in Taman Pengkalan Jaya, Ipoh 

More people are rallying to help raise funds for Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), taking a cue from an owner of a curry mee stall whose noble deeds went viral.

GEORGE TOWN: A hawker here has brought back memories of the 1970s when labourers and trishaw riders chipped in to help raise funds to build Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC).

For every bowl of curry noodles he sells, he will donate 10 sen to TAR UC.

Loke Thean Meng, 59, said that in the 1970s, people from all walks of life contributed to the building fund of the then college.

“I remember people such as hawkers, trishaw riders and hairdressers doing their very best to collect money and donate it to the college. This year marks TAR UC’s 50th anniversary and it is facing difficulties.
“It is time for me to contribute and do something for the future generations,” said the father-of-three, adding that his youngest daughter is doing her third year in the university college.

What surprised Loke was that when he announced his decision on his Facebook account on Friday, his post was shared around and eventually viewed by 150,000 people in just a day.

Several traders have decided to come together for a worthy cause so that TAR UC can afford to keep its course fees low for the benefit of the low-income groups.

Perak MCA Youth chief Daniel Wa said several traders contacted him, expressing their interest to help TAR UC.

“When they heard that TAR UC is not getting a matching grant from the government, they decided to band together to offer help.

“They will be organising several charity sales to raise some funds for TAR UC, ” he said when met during one of the sales campaigns in Taman Pengkalan Jaya here.

Among them are a fruit seller, who will be selling MD2 pineapples at the Sitiawan morning market today, a stall at 168 Kopitiam in Ayer Kuning selling eggs from 8am tomorrow, a hawker in Canning Garden offering mushrooms from 7pm on Nov 20 and another vendor selling rice in Batu Kurau on Nov 24.

On Nov 4, a stall in Penang pledged 10 sen from each bowl of curry noodles sold for TAR UC.

The 59-year-old owner, Loke Thean Meng, said the move was part of his contributions for the future generation.

During the tabling of Budget 2020, it was announced that TAR UC’s development funds had been cut to RM1mil from RM5.5mil.

Later, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the government pledged a minimum of RM30mil annually to TAR UC, starting from 2019, if MCA relinquishes control of the institution.

Lim GE - Finance Minister
vindictive to MCA, mean spirited to TAR UC 

Teresa Kok, Salahuddin Ayub, Chong Eng

all (ungrateful?) alumni of TAR UC 

Food vendor Yan Ehee Kuan, 40, said he decided to help TAR UC because many of his friends had sent their children to the institution for further studies.

“This is not the first time we have done charity sales. Previously, we also helped other schools to raise funds.

“We believe that education is important and helping TAR UC will benefit future generations, ” he said, adding that the charity sales had so far generated more than RM2,600.

Wa said they also received some suggestions to hold a charity dinner for TAR UC.

“We are still in the midst of planning,” he said, adding that they welcomed any assistance or suggestions from the public who can contact Perak MCA Youth at 05-253 6981 or the MCA Youth headquarters at 03-2203 3888.

The 50-year-old TAR UC has stopped receiving annual matching grants from the Pakatan Harapan government for this year and 2020.

The grants allowed TAR UC to keep its fees low.

The most profound example of wrongheadedness in terms of policy is Lim’s rationale for withholding funding from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and using Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s name as a fig leaf.

Public accountability, as defined by Harapan, is a joke and penalising the MCA in the run-up to the Tanjung Piai by-election demonstrates the vindictiveness of the DAP.
Malay power structures are laughing at the way how their non-Malay proxies destroy institutions beneficial to non-Malays in their quest to demonstrate subservience. 

- Commander (rtd) S Thayaparan (MKINI)