FMT:
Stop acting like a bully, Wee tells Guan Eng
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Wee Ka Siong today said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng wanted to place several of his “preferred” Tunku Abdul Rahman Alumni Association (TAA) trustees in a foundation to manage Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC).
He said the message was conveyed to him and former MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, who is the chairman of the board of governors of TAR UC, by a PKR leader in July.
“The person told me and Liow that he (Lim) wanted us to change half of the board members (of the TARC Education Foundation) so that his preferred TAA candidates can fill up the vacancies.
“This is outright bullying and we cannot accept it,” he said at MCA’s annual general meeting at the party’s headquarters here.
Wee said another meeting between them and the PKR leader as well as Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution took place in August, where the minister said he hoped the issue concerning replacing trustee members could be resolved.
“If the authorities require us to replace the board with four new trustees who have nothing to do with MCA, we will adhere to their wish and resolve the problem amicably, once and for all.
“We insist on acting according to the foundation’s memorandum of association, so we can recommend trustee members for his (Saifuddin) ministry’s approval, rather than the finance ministry’s,” he said.
TAR UC is owned by the TARC Education Foundation, which comes under Saifuddin’s ministry through the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Wee said Liow met Saifuddin again in October to present the names of four individuals to the ministry and SSM.
He said the four – former Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) president Chuah Hean Teik, accountant Khoo Chin Guan, senior lawyer Roger Tan and businesswoman Tan Siok Choo – were alumni and corporate figures. Siok Choo is also the granddaughter of MCA founder Tan Cheng Lock.
He said their names had been submitted for over one month but had yet to receive approval, adding that SSM had previously agreed for them to change their board members by December.
Wee said another incident which took them by surprise last week was when the finance ministry sent a letter saying the TAR UC’s current board members were “illegal” on grounds that they were MCA members.
“Do we have a law that stops political party members from becoming members of a foundation?” he asked, adding that the order was a violation of human rights.
Another “bullying” incident, he said, happened in January when the Inland Revenue Board issued a letter saying the foundation “did not meet specified regulations” despite having given its clearance.
He said that according to the letter, 50% of the trustee members must not have any relationship with its founders and must not be members of the board of directors for its parent company or affiliate company.
“If it were not for the intervention of the finance minister, how could the Inland Revenue Board unreasonably cancel its own official letter sent earlier that confirmed the TARC Education Foundation had complied with the rules?” he asked.
Wee asked whether Lim dared to challenge the composition of the board of trustees of the Perdana Leadership Foundation, which adopted a similar structure as the TARC Education Foundation.
“He is acting like a bully to MCA but is submissive towards Dr Mahathir (Mohamad),” he said.
Wee has been fighting for an allocation for Utar and TAR UC from last year after Pakatan Harapan slashed its funding.
Utar and TAR UC will only receive RM1 million for development purposes under the 2020 Budget, compared to RM5.5 million in the 2019 Budget.
Lim had repeatedly said the institutions’ board of trustees should relinquish their posts if they want more government funding.
If MCA relinquished its control over them, he said, Putrajaya would immediately reinstate funding of RM30 million for this year and next year.
Recently, Lim also said a yearly allocation of at least RM30 million had been approved for a trust fund managed by TAA and told MCA to relinquish their posts in the alumni.
Lim Guan Eng has made tremendous personal sacrifices to stand up to true bullies.
ReplyDeleteWee Ka Siong the entitled MCA apparatchik can hold no candle to him.
Lim may come across too strongly to some, it is because of his commitment.
I have said many times already with regards to the TARUC funding issue Guanee is many steps ahead of everyone. He has done all the homework. So BEWARE.
ReplyDeletePreviously Wee Khat Siong make fun of Guanee, say he is a "provisional accountant", not qualified, merely a book-keeper, no power, all the key GLCs given to Economic Minister Azmin Ali, the Finance Minister has been castrated by Toonsie. Bo Lampah.
Now he says Guanee is a bully. Can a weak minister bully? If MCA can be bullied by a Bo Lampah what does that make MCA?
Complying with IRB rules does not mean complying with MoF rules for financial assistance.
When Guanee took over the powerful Finance Ministry he had access to legal documents not accessible to the public.
When TAR was granted university status in 2013 the structure of its ownership and Trust was changed from being a public to a private trust.
So they could "tutup buku"? Keep everything secret?
One of the conditions of the change was that the Board of Trustees must comprise at least 50% non-MCA people. But of course we all know 100% has always been ex or current MCA people, and the MCA President sits on top of this heap.
This implies that the then Finance Minister and MCA broke the law that they themselves enacted and signed off on. When Guanee took over as FM in 2018 he wanted no part in any blatant abuse of power. Guanee wants to be a law-maker not a law-breaker ha ha ha....
Has Wee Khat Siong been a law-breaker since 2013? Wee Khat Siong was the Deputy Education Minister in 2013 therefore cannot claim ignorance of the law and is today the Chairman of the TARUC Education Foundation, the very person receiving funds from MoF while not in compliance with the law.
Coincidence? Or Axis-Of-Conspiracy-To-Defraud?
And who was the Minister of Finance from 2013-2018 who also kept this a secret?
Clue: he is now facing nearly 100 charges in court over financial irregularities and abuse of power.
Was this why MCA was so supportive of this FM cum PM while there was rape, pillage and plunder going on of the country’s finances, resulting in a trillion in national debt?
"I give your university lots of money so you can claim to be champion of the Chinese but you keep quiet and support me ok?"
Is this what MCA means by keeping separate politics from education?
Has TARUC been illegally run as a education institution since 2013? How do the students feel about their university being illegally run?
Stay tuned for the next chapter of this investigative journalism, if want to nominate for some Booker Prize then go ahead....
Zahid Hamidi vows to re-instate TARUC allocations "plus extras". He said this in front of MCA's 66th AGM.
ReplyDeleteSo will MCA accept money from someone facing nearly a hundred charges related to missing money and who was a leader responsible for Chinese Malaysians being deprived of affordable education in the first place but not willing to accept 30 million a year from Guanee, no strings attached other than for TARUC Education Foundation complying with their own memorandum of association?
I am waiting for Wee Khat Siong's reply.
"The more Chinese voters swing back to the opposition coalition the more allocation will be given to TAR UC," Zahid continued saying.
It's not election time but this shows UMNO has not changed. Money for support. What does Zahid take the Chinese for? Oh hang on, we are talking about MCA members here so ...... I await their response.
Chinese M'sians r placing education as an exigent in life, as part of their ancestral teachings.
ReplyDeleteBoth MCA & DAP r tightening their grips on this issue w/o compromises. It's the ONLY game in town that can motivate a 'fixed deposit' to their side for a political match.
The ketuanan freaks r holding their card too, in the event that an enticing incentive MUST be used to hoodwink the Kingmakers into a solid vote bank.
Why must MCA holds the deciding power for the well-being of Utar and TAR UC?
This bunch of political pygmies have in the past used Utar to line their own pocket as in the case of the hostel issue in Kampar.
Similar underhanded plays have also been manifested in the appointments of senior administrators/lecturers & building contracts for TarUC.
The most intrinsic psychological hold that MCA never mention openly about its unwillingness to open up the board of governors to REAL nonpartisan political appointees, as demanded by DAP, is that subconscious impact that MCA, through UTar & TarUC, holds ransom to the Chinese M'sians' educational craving for their children.
Whatever said by the MCA shipwrecked rats about the transparency & independence of these two educational outfits r just political life vests for their sinking ship.
DAP is right in demanding that MCA cuts that umbilical cord that coils around the necks of these fetuses.
For the good of M'sia education, UTar & TarUC shouldn't be placated as the like of the ketuanan outfits of Mara.
With no political linkage, these two educational institutions DON'T have to be beholden to any political demands - current &/or future. Thus can be achieving new height w/o political patronage, which is the real hindrance of those failing ketuanan outfits!
There r too many short-sighted Cinapeks STILL thinking about government handouts for these two institutions. They have forgotten about the struggle of their past elders in holding fort to secure the vernacular Chinese education despite of all odds - no govt funding included!
Many top rated universities in the world r non political entities, surviving with donations coming from well-wishers & philanthropists. & bcoz of that they DON'T have to play favourite to ANY demands but academic excellence!
UTar & TarUC can achieve that status bcoz there r amble Nons who r willing to contribute finances/deeds IFF the sensitivities of the political linkages, be they with the ketuanan administration &/or political party patronage, be isolated & severed!
Many of these willing donors r NOT doing it now or openly simply bcoz contributions to educational institutions like UTar & TarUC r considered an insensitivity to the ketuanan administrators.
The removal of political linkages of UTar & TarUC r the right & initial step to remove that inherent & yet unspoken threat!
For the WANT of a string-attached political fund, the future of the Non's educational opportunities COULD be compromised as proven in the current political football between MCA & DAP!
Very good point, CK. I fully support this.
Deletehttps://m.malaysiakini.com/news/501959
ReplyDeleteI believe the Chinese, who have short memories, and are easily led by the nose, are now prepared to vote BN back into Government.
bully is okay, but a bully cum stupid will only do more harm. lge shd retire along with mahathir.
ReplyDelete