Don’t ban breweries from funding Chinese schools, says Gerakan leader

 

Controversy erupted after deputy housing and local government minister Aiman Athirah Sabu was pictured receiving a RM3 million mock cheque bearing the Tiger Beer logo at a Chinese school fundraiser. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The government should not ban contributions from the alcohol industry to Chinese, Tamil and missionary schools because most alcohol consumers are non-Muslims, Perak Gerakan deputy chief Naran Singh said.

There shouldn’t be a ban on receiving contributions from breweries, because the majority of alcohol consumers are Chinese, Indians and the people of Borneo,

 he told FMT.

However, Naran said he was surprised to read comments from DAP chairman Loke Siew Fook that Chinese schools had received more than RM400 million from breweries over the past 30 years.

To hear that so much money has gone to Chinese schools alone is staggering. I wonder how much these breweries have contributed to Tamil and mission schools, which don’t get much help from the government,

 Naran said, adding that the whole process should be made public.

Controversy erupted recently after PAS took issue with deputy housing and local government minister Aiman Athirah Sabu for receiving a RM3 million mock cheque bearing the Tiger Beer logo at a fundraiser for SJK(C) Tche Min in Sungai Pelek, Selangor.

On Tuesday, the education ministry said it was probing the incident, and reminded schools to adhere to the existing guidelines, issued in 2018, which prohibit the acceptance of donations generated from activities such as gambling, as well as the sale of tobacco, drugs and alcohol.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek later said her ministry would not review or grant exemptions for the guidelines on donations given to schools, including for vernacular schools.

She said all schools must adhere to the existing guidelines, which she described as neither too difficult to comply with nor a hindrance to schools obtaining donations.

However, Loke said such programmes were usually held outside the school in restaurants, and it was common within the Chinese community for alcohol companies to organise school-related programmes.

Meanwhile, Consumers’ Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the existing ban must be upheld to safeguard students from the harmful influence of alcohol and tobacco.

We urge the ministry to not alter guidelines to gain political favour or support from the community. Schools must consider other fundraising ways that do not involve the alcohol and tobacco industries,

 he told FMT.

Mohideen added that it remained the responsibility of the government to ensure schools were adequately funded.

Political leaders should address school development needs within the Cabinet rather than seek support from these industries. We must not teach children that A is for alcohol, B is for beer…,

 he said.

Mohideen said there were potential dangers in exposing young students to the alcohol and tobacco industries. He said the World Health Organization (WHO) had called for comprehensive bans on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion.

According to the WHO’s Safer Initiative, such measures were effective and cost-efficient in reducing alcohol-related harm. It said these bans were critical for protecting children and adolescents from the pressure to start consuming alcohol, often glamorised through marketing campaigns. - FMT