'Why reject RM30 mil donation', MCA asked

Perak DAP today claimed that the 20,000 students of the MCA-owned University Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) campus located in Kampar, Perak, are forced to pay a hefty RM50.2 million collectively in rental annually to a private company.

This because the MCA is allegedly reluctant to build students hostels for them on the 1,300 acres of land given by the Perak state government.

In a media statement, Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming said that in another ten years time, Utar students will be paying a whopping RM500.2 millions for room rentals.

"Why is MCA reluctant to accept the RM30 million donation from philanthropist Koon Yew Yin to build the student hostels at the Utar Kampar campus when there is still more than 1,000 acres of land there that is underdeveloped," asked Nga (right).

According to Nga, Utar have said they have no plans to build student hostels even though this can bring in substantial savings in lower rentals for Utar's campus students.

He said there seems to be a mystery surrounding the reluctance of Utar to accept Koon's donation to build student hostels on the campus site.

"Is there a private understanding between the private company involved and MCA on the issue of building student hostels?" he asked

"Our Bolehland is getting more ridiculous with MCA's unilateral stand on this hostel issue," claimed Nga who is Taiping member of Parliament.

Not approached, says Chua

He questioned why the MCA did not obtain an allocation from the government to build Utar but instead collected donations from the Chinese community amounting to RM180 million.

"MCA dare not fight for an allocation from the education ministry but raised funds from the rakyat. Now they dare not even accept donations," Nga claimed.

In an immediate reaction, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said he had not been approached by Koon since the time he took office.

"Since I took office as party president, I was neither consulted nor approached by businessman Koon Yew Yin, who purportedly wants to donate RM30 million to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman," said Chua(left) in a statement.

He said he has spoken with Utar council chairperson, Dr Ling Liong Sik on the matter and that the university would soon issue a statement to explain on Koon's offer.

"The MCA leadership welcomes donations from all philanthropists to Utar," said Chua.

courtesy of Malaysiakini