PETALING JAYA: MCA president Wee Ka Siong has raised objections to the finance ministry’s decision to channel RM40 million to the TARCian Alumni Association (TAA) Education Trust Fund.
In a Facebook post, Wee questioned the government’s procedures in the channeling of funds meant for an education institution.
Yesterday, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, at a press conference with TAA, announced the transfer of the allocation to the trust fund for the benefit of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and its students.
TAA president Yap Kuak Fong said the trust fund’s board would work closely with the TAR UC management to ensure the grant was properly managed and distributed.
Wee said today if the allocations benefitted students, then the MCA would not pursue the source of funding for the time being.
“However, the RM40 million was not channelled to the management of TAR UC to cover their operational expenses, it was handed over to an entity outside of TAR UC to spend as they will.”
He said for the past 50 years, the government had funded TAR UC’s operational and development expenditure under the education ministry’s annual budget.
Under Budget 2019, he said, the development allocation of RM5.5 million for TAR UC was issued under the education ministry.
But, he said, with the “so-called” RM40 million operational allocation being channelled to the TAA Education Trust Fund, Malaysia has set a “new record”.
“The operational and development allocation of a single education institution will now be placed under the purview of two separate ministries.
“Is the finance ministry going beyond its jurisdiction, bypassing the education ministry? Does Education Minister Maszlee Malik have nothing to say about this at all?”
Wee added that the RM40 million allocation was not mentioned in Budget 2019 and was absent from both the education and finance ministries budgets.
“There is no mention of any nominal allocation of the education ministry, and even the column on TAR UC’s operational allocation is removed altogether.
“Is there no standard protocol or procedure to adhere to in dispensing RM40 million of taxpayer’s money? Isn’t the money being disbursed at the whims and fancies of a certain individual? Isn’t this matter being treated as child’s play?”
Lim has been engaged in a war of words with MCA leaders over the matching grant for TAR UC. He argues that the educational institution should not be controlled by political parties and politicians. - FMT
TAR UC was privatized in 2013, how come still demand fundings from government? And when is the BoDs consisting of 100% MCA people going to step aside and hold free and fair election for new directors to helm TAR UC?
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