CSR contributions by Malaysian breweries for vernacular schools need to be appreciated

Letter to editor

A MAJOR controversy has been stirred up about the donations provided by Malaysian breweries that have been going on for decades without any issues raised.

In fact, even the government had indirectly accepted this practice which had contributed much to the development of vernacular schools as both the Chinese and to a lesser extent Tamil schools have been beneficiaries of the much-needed financial help.

One wonders why all of a sudden this issue has become polemical as PAS which was part of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Selangor had never raised this matter previously.

It was generally accepted that vernacular schools which received less allocations than their national school peers could source for legitimate funds from the corporate sector.

The donations and contributions of the breweries as well as from benefactors and philanthropists have led to major improvements and facilities in these schools.

To a large extent, vernacular schools survive on a self-help basis and donation like this greatly. With an increasing pupil population, the schools need more space and facilities.

In fact, major development, renovation and extension of some vernacular schools could be attributed to these hefty donations.

Good corporate citizens

The breweries do this as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) exercise to improve their image and contribute to society.

It must be noted that companies such as Carlsberg, Guinness/Heineken have been some of the earliest major post Merdeka corporate set-ups and have since employed tens of thousands of Malaysians since then.

These companies are good corporate citizens for we hardly hear any negative news about them especially concerning evasions of taxes or excise duties, workers’ disputes, polluting waterways or other environmental problems.

In contrast, telcos earn billions of ringgit annually in profit but do partake any similar charitable through generous donations or contributions? Do they contribute as much as the breweries as part of their CSR initiative?

Even some government-linked companies (GLCs) are downright discriminatory when it comes to helping the community.

The government has frequently raised the prices of alcoholic drinks or ban their advertisements on radio and TV in the quest to reduce alcohol consumption.

But the government cannot embark on more stringent measures for doing so would infringe on the rights of personal choice of the non-Muslim community which makes up 40% of the Malaysian population.

Furthermore, the government relies heavily on the tax revenue, excise duties and licence fees from breweries, tobacco companies and gaming (casino and number forecast) operators to fund numerous development projects from schools to healthcare facilities and various infrastructure.

Similar to zakat fund

It must be noted that players from the sin industries are aware of religious sensitivities, hence are doing their bit only for non-Muslim causes. This money is not laundered or illegal but originated from a legitimate business.

It is very much like the zakat (tithe) fund which is collected from Muslims for distribution to only Muslims.

One hopes that these firms will expand their contributions and sponsorships to other urgent needs such as scholarships, medical assistance, residential care for disabled children or even care centres for the elderly.

One of the key reasons for these firms to giver back to the society is to offset their supposedly negative image.

Their corporate contributions need to be considered positively in the context of vernacular education which is very much oppressed in terms of lower budgetary allocations from the government.

After all, if the donations are not given away for social or community needs, the money will be passed down to the rich shareholders.

It is not that these firms cannot spend their money elsewhere but just that they prefer to utilise it as a form of payback to society.

At the end of the day, whether these firms donate to vernacular schools or not does not matter as consumers will continue to support them.

Carlsberg has been a long-time sponsor of the Liverpool Football Club yet this has not raised any opposition from its fans or shareholders. In fact, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, a Muslim, is the brand ambassador for Carlsberg in India! 

 

V. Thomas
Sungai Buloh

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia