Gerakan’s kow-towing to UMNO Youth’s demands with disciplinary action against S. Paranjothy despite his speaking the truth shows that Gerakan does not dare to say “No” to UMNO, especially in the next constituency delineation exercise increasing the number of UMNO seats from 15 to 20 out of 40 state seats
_____________________
Speech at DAP Bagan Dinner
by Lim Guan Eng
___________________________
(Penang,
Saturday):
Gerakan’s
immediate kow-towing to UMNO
Youth’s demands with
disciplinary action against
Gerakan Youth Vice-President
S. Paranjothy despite his
speaking the truth shows that
Gerakan does not dare say
“No” to UMNO, especially in
the next constituency
delineation exercise after
the next general elections.
UMNO is intent on obtaining
half the state seats, which
means 20 out of the current
40 states seats or in the
event of any additional seats
50% of the total number of
seats.
UMNO contested in all 15
majority state seats and hold
14 after losing one seat to
PAS in the 2004 general
elections. UMNO has signaled
its intentions of having a
greater say in its already
dominant role in the state
government and what better
way than to change the
political landscape in Penang
by increasing the number of
seats it can contest. Should
UMNO achieve equal parity of
seats, this will change the
entire political calculus and
power equation in the state.
Public expectations are that
neither Gerakan nor MCA have
the courage to say “No” to
UMNO’s demands. This is most
evident when Gerakan Acting
President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu
Koon immediately referred its
National Youth vice-chairman,
S. Paranjothy, to the
disciplinary board either to
be suspended or expelled for
allegedly making
racially-sensitive remarks
against UMNO after UMNO Youth
President Hishamuddin Tun
Hussein Onn threatened to
sever ties with Gerakan.
Paranjothy spoke the truth
that UMNO incites racial
sentiments among their
community in a petty attempt
to further their political
career. Is Paranjothy wrong
when he said that Indians are
treated as fourth-class
citizens where the Indians
predominate over their fellow
Malaysians is mostly in
prison, violent crimes,
gangsterism, suicide and
social ills?
Koh considers Paranjothy’s
statement racist that
required action to be taken
but not Hishamuddin’s kris-waving
threats against the
non-Malays. Did Paranjothy
wave any parang? Why did Koh
not press for action to be
taken against Hishamuddin?
More importantly are the
questions that if Koh as
Acting Gerakan President can
not even face an UMNO Youth
leader like Hishamuddin to
defend his own member, can he
say “No” to UMNO’s top
leadership when the rights of
people of Penang are
adversely affected. For this
reason the people must
restore a strong DAP
opposition of at least 14
members by denying BN its two
third majority in the Penang
State Assembly to preserve
and protect their rights
against further encroachment
from UMNO.
Does Koh Tsu Koon have the
ability to use his powers as
Chief Minister and follow the
Prime Minister’s example by
giving RM 23.5 million to one
school?
DAP can not understand why
MCA President Datuk Seri Ong
Ka Ting is proud instead of
being ashamed when he
announced that the government
will give a RM 10 million New
Year 'bonus' to 33 Chinese
primary, secondary and
independent schools on
31.12.2007. This RM 10
million New Year bonus is
small fry when compared to
the special RM23.5 million
development allocation
granted to only one school,
Bukit Mertajam High School by
the Prime Minister under the
9MP?
Ong has only the right to
feel proud when he can
succeed in getting RM 23.5
million for one Chinese
school. The RM 23.5 million
development sums for one
single school are even larger
than the developments funds
offered for all 96 Chinese
primary schools in Penang
under the 9MP. Clearly this
is a general election ploy to
win votes in the coming
general elections. If the
government is sincere in
helping out Chinese schools
then granting funds should be
based on needs on a yearly
basis and not only during
general elections once every
5 years.
Compared to what one single
school can get (RM 23.5
million), Ong should be
ashamed of himself that so
many schools have to share a
miserly RM 23.5 million. The
Chinese community knows that
the government is only giving
money now to buy votes in
preparation for the general
elections.
In January 2007, Prime
Minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi announced that
the government is allocating
RM 20 million under the 9MP
for the redevelopment of his
alma mater BMHS in Penang, to
build a new hostel, teachers’
quarters, a sports pavilion
and a laboratory. There’s an
additional RM3.5 million for
the restoration work for the
block of the BMHS.
Whilst DAP does not begrudge
the use of public funds to
invest in education,
questions are asked what is
so special about BMHS that it
gets singled out for such a
special allocation of RM 23.5
million, which is not
available to other schools.
MCA can not even obtain RM
23.5 million in development
funds for all the 96 Chinese
primary schools in Penang
under the 9MP. Why is it
Chinese primary schools which
are in dire need of
development funds for new
Chinese primary schools not
treated equally?
Development allocation to
Chinese primary schools and
Tamil primary schools is a
lowly RM 174.3 million and RM
64.8 million under the 9th
Malaysian Plan out of a total
of RM 4,837.3 million. For
Chinese primary schools, this
is only 3.6% of the total
allocation even though they
comprise 21.2% of the total
primary school enrolment as
shown by the table below.
Total number of primary
school students in 2005 and
development allocation under
the Ninth Malaysian Plan
|
All primary schools |
National primary schools |
% of total |
Chinese primary schools |
% of total |
Tamil primary schools |
% of total |
Total no. of students |
3,044,977 |
2,300,729 |
75.6 |
645,669 |
21.2 |
98,579 |
3.2 |
9MP development allocation (RM millions) |
4,837.3 |
4,598.2 |
95.1 |
174.3 |
3.6 |
64.8 |
1.3 |
RM per student for 5 years |
1,589 |
1,998 |
|
270 |
|
657 |
|
RM per student per month |
26.48 |
33.30 |
|
4.50 |
|
10.95 |
|
Based on number of schools,
all the 96 Chinese primary
schools in Penang should
receive RM 15 million of
development funds under the
9MP, which is less than the
RM 23.5 million given to one
school. Despite such
injustices, neither MCA nor
Gerakan has spoken out
against such discrimination
against Chinese primary
schools. Does Tan Sri Dr Koh
Tsu Koon have the ability to
use his powers as Chief
Minister and follow the Prime
Minister’s example by giving
RM 23.5 million to one
Chinese school?
Justice and fairness requires
Chinese and Tamil primary
schools to receive RM 1,025.5
million (21.2%) and RM 154.8
million (3.2%) respectively
based on student population.
However (as the table shows),
Chinese primary schools only
receive RM 174.3 million or
3.6% (a shortfall of RM 851.2
million) and Tamil primary
schools RM 64.8 million or
1.3% of the total development
allocation for primary
schools under the 9MP.
How discriminatory the
treatment towards Chinese
primary schools can be shown
when the development
allocation works out to only
RM 4.50 per Chinese primary
school student per month as
compared to RM 33.30 per
student per month for each
national primary school
student? The Chinese
community can not be faulted
for asking BN and MCA to
explain why a national
primary school student should
receive more than 7 times in
development funds than a
Chinese primary school
student if everyone is a
Malaysian citizen enjoying
equal political rights.
(04/01/2008)
* Lim Guan
Eng,
Secretary-General of DAP |