YOURSAY 'MCA chief Soi Lek can only rattle off government statistics and either offer weak answers or avoid the more sensitive ones.'

Soi Lek vs Guan Eng debate Round 2

Galpasqueen: The results of this debate is 10-0; DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has won. The worst part is that Chua brought up Talam Corporation, Tunku Abdul Rahman College and the Penang Port. He should get very negative marks on these three questions.

On the alleged under-performance of Penang Port, Chua never mentioned or purposely covered up the fact that the Johor and Klang ports do better because the federal government is the one which channels all the cargo to the Johor and Klang ports instead of Penang.

Also Lim Guan Eng (LGE) should elaborate more on the TAR College donation of RM30 million to build hostels for students - MCA refused this donation because MCA cronies had bought over many houses in Kampar and were charging RM420 per month for a room, so if they accepted this donation to build hostels, all the MCA cronies would go bankrupt.

LGE is smart as he spoke a lot in Bahasa Malaysia as DAP is getting more popular with the Malays now. I do not know why MCA can be so stupid to let LGE to have this opportunity to have a national platform to speak.

It is also correct that Lim should not have another debate with Chua as he does not have any government portfolio.

Peter Parker: What's TAR College? TAR College means after we have paid our taxes, we still can't go to a public university and we have to pay more money through donations to set up a higher education institution so that the Chinese can get a higher education.

Malaysian Pariah: It is just sad that the MCA supporters are so tolerant and accepting of being a second-class citizens in this country.

What is TAR college but a mere MCA and Umno ploy to keep the Chinese masses happy? As taxpayers, you need to go to the streets and demand the right to education and not be proud of the TAR College.

Clever Voter: The case for MCA to be returned to power is weak, let alone getting people to listen to them. For more than 50 years of sleeping on the job, these people would have been fired long ago in the real world.

Claiming credit for TAR College is no longer a plus point - the education landscape is now different. And claiming credit for business success is rubbish; many Chinese have succeeded without any help, those rent-seekers who succeeded not only made the community pay more, but are also no longer around.

How many CEOs from GLCs - that incidentally control a large chunk of the economy from automobile, banking to transport, etc - are non-bumis?

Put simply, MCA has failed, and they should surrender and urge their declining members to support those who can do the job.

Anonymous #32993250: If merit was the order of the day, it would be unnecessary for MCA to initiate opening colleges like TAR College, that too after a great struggle with Umno, and even then their diplomas are not accepted by JPA (Public Service Department).

This was the most cruel move, especially when their diplomas are far superior to that of public universities.

And when PM Najib Razak accorded the recognition, it is now being politicised by former PM Mahathir Mohamad for reasons best known to him alone. Any country would want the best brains to service the country, but Mahathir is against this.

I ask the president of MCA, how can he be a partner in BN with this type of thinking in the coalition.

Odin: The point that the other Malaysiakini readers haven't raised is CSL (Chua Soi Lek) saying the two million brain drain was "normal" as it proved Malaysia's education prepared its citizens to be accepted worldwide.

Question 1: Is he saying then that the Malaysian government educates Malaysians so that they can be employed in other countries?

Question 2: Have all of the two million people received their entire education or only part of it in Malaysia before they secured their jobs in the other countries?

Question 3: Are having two million people working for other countries a normal thing and something to crow about? We are talking about qualified people or professionals, of course, and not maids and blue-collar workers.

Ex-MCA: My assessment is that Lim Guan Eng clearly won this round. MCA chief Chua Soi Lek can only rattle off government statistics and either offer weak answers or avoid the more sensitive ones.

One up for Pakatan Rakyat. Wait till you see the delayed telecast - they will censor most of it.

Rakyat Malaysia: Why is this debate not live on national TV? Perhaps MCA is scared that they will make a fool of themselves again (for all the rakyat to see) and want to edit and filter the live debate before screening it?

Sia Suai Lang: I have just heard the debate over the radio. Being a MCA member, I have to be fair: I declare that Lim won 14-0.

Chua is only good at acting not debating. He is good in ball carrying, not in looking after the people's welfare. This second round of the debate proves Lim is better than Chua.

Survivor: CSL boasted about the past in which MCA was part of the government. He kept harping on DAP having nothing to show. However, he did not say DAP had never been in federal power.

MCA and Umno have been involved in massive corruption in the last 30 years. This is really nothing to be proud of because the MCA leadership has not only sold their soul to their major partner but has caused the entire nation to be grossly in debt.

Voice: At last, a BN minister has admitted that the BN leakages and corruption are in the region of RM26 billion

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 Julai – Mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad berpendapat, masyarakat Melayu di negara ini sudah “kaku dan tidak boleh menjawab balik” kerana takut dituduh bersifat rasis.
Dalam satu temuramah khas bersama akhbar Mingguan Malaysia yang dikeluarkan hari ini, Dr Mahathir (gambar) menjelaskan, Melayu kini bersifat mementingkan undi sehingga apabila tuntutan dibuat yang melanggar perjanjian ketika zaman Kemerdekaan dilanggar sekalipun, mereka masih lagi berdiam diri.
“Saya berpendapat kita sudah kaku dan tidak menjawab balik kerana takut dituduh rasis. Sampaikan tuntutan dibuat yang melanggar perjanjian dahulu pun kita tak jawab.
“Malah, mereka buat lebih tuntutan lagi,” kata perdana menteri yang pernah berkhidmat selama 22 tahun itu.
Beliau turut mengemukakan contoh situasi tersebut apabila mengatakan “dahulu nak masuk kerja diploma hanya melibatkan universiti awam, tapi sekarang diploma Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman, kita kena terima.”
Pada 27 Jun lalu, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak telah mengumumkan lebih 70 kursus yang ditawarkan di KTAR telah diberi pengiktirafan retrospektif yang mana membolehkan graduan mereka turut mendapat pengiktirafan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA).
Pengiktirafan itu akan berkuatkuasa serta merta, dan akan meliputi kursus Diploma dan Diploma Lanjutan yang ditawarkan kolej berkenaan sejak pertengahan tahun 1990-an.
Tambah Dr Mahathir lagi, semua perkara yang berlaku itu adalah atas kebodohan orang Melayu sendiri kerana Melayu kini telah berpecah.
“Kita tentukan perkara ini semasa kemerdekaan supaya orang Melayu boleh menjadi majoriti. Bila majoriti dalam sesebuah negara, mereka akan berkuasa.
“Namun kini mereka sendiri yang menghancurkan majoriti mereka dengan berpecah belah,” tegasnya lagi dan menambah, “Melayu kini berpecah kepada tiga kelompok dan dengan itu memang mereka memerlukan sokongan kaum lain.”
Menjelaskan perkara itu, beliau berkata, apabila Melayu berpecah, mereka akan mencuba sedaya upaya untuk memenuhi tuntutan pihak lain bagi mendapatkan undi mereka.
“Sekarang ini dalam keadaan berpecah belah, maka orang lain minta kena bagilah kerana nakkan undi,” tambahnya lagi.
Bagaimanapun, Dr Mahathir yang masih lagi berpengaruh di negara ini turut menjelaskan, beliau bukan menentang masyarakat Cina, sebaliknya mereka perlu bersifat adil berdasarkan keadaan negara.
“Saya bukanlah menentang kaum Cina, tapi kena lah bersifat adil berdasarkan negara ini. Bila saya bercakap mengenai perkara ini, mereka kata saya rasis, tetapi kenyataan-kenyataan ini yang dipersetujui dalam Perlembagaan,” katanya merujuk kepada kedudukan Bahasa Melayu dan hak istimewa orang Melayu dan Bumiputera.
“Jika mereka nak lebih, mereka juga perlu bagi lebih kepada kita. Barulah seimbang.
“Katalah mereka kata nak hapus hak istimewa orang Melayu, maka mereka perlulah hapuskan keistimewaan seperti tidak boleh menggunakan bahasa mereka atau sekolah jenis kebangsaan,” katanya kepada akhbar milik Umno itu.
Dr Mahathir juga turut menjelaskan, orang Melayu sekarang tidak lagi boleh bercakap berkenaan perkara itu dan hanya mengambil pendekatan bertahan jika dihentam.
“Bila kita bertahan, orang lain akan bampak ‘bintik-bintik hitam’ yang ada di muka kita,” jelasnya lagi.
KTAR merupakan sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) yang diwujudkan sejak 1969, dan setakat ini telah menghasilkan lebih 160,000 graduan.
Selain itu, kolej yang dipengerusikan oleh Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek ini juga telah mendapat pengiktirafan antarabangsa seperti ACCA, CIMA, ICSA, CIOB, dan banyak lagi.
Pada Oktober tahun lalu, Najib berkata beliau tidak mempunyai halangan untuk menaik taraf KTAR kepada status kolej universiti sekiranya memenuhi syarat yang ditetapkan.
Dr Chua yang juga merupakan Presiden MCA turut berkata, parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) itu sedang berurusan dengan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi untuk menaik taraf KTAR kepada status kolej universiti.
KTAR adalah institusi pengajian tinggi milik MCA yang ditubuhkan pada 24 Februari 1969, dan telah berkembang ke seluruh negara dengan mempunyai enam cawangan dan lebih 30,000 pelajar yang kebanyakan mengikuti pelbagai kursus dalam peringkat sijil dan diploma.

Sometimes, politicians should keep their mouths firmly shut. Several senior politicians who have spoken somewhat prematurely have received the displeasure of the rakyat, for their foolishness. The MCA hierarchy should appreciate the axiom – that less is more.
Ng Yen Yen, the MCA vice-president, tried to justify her status as a Permanent Resident (PR) of Australia. Instead, she succeeded in making Malaysians and possibly Australians, more outraged.
The MCA chief Dr Chua Soi Lek failed to realise that people are more interested in policies, rather than people’s affairs. He thought he would be praised for “daring” to admit to his affair when he tried to discredit Lim Guan Eng, the DAP secretary-general. Instead he (Chua) was portrayed as a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car; perhaps a more apt description would have been, caught with his pants down.
Last week, Ng, who is also Tourism Minister, tried to clear her name after Lim had alluded to her, in the debate, dubbed “Debate 2.0”, with Chua.
Lim had made a pointed reference, without mentioning names, that not every Malaysian could get PR status in Australia. He had clearly alluded to Ng, who two decades earlier had sought and successfully obtained PR in Australia.
Stung by Lim’s remarks, Ng decided to give her version of events in a press conference, so that she would not be “misunderstood”. According to her, the PR was secured in the 1990s and that in 1995, on completion of her son’s education, she had renounced her right to abode.
Ng tried to appear altruistic: “I went to Australia for my son’s education. I am very proud of it [as] my son is a very successful lawyer. I have no regrets.”
Unfortunately, her explanation backfired. In trying to justify her action, the rakyat was disgusted by her behaviour. Her “pride” at her PR status did not go down well with Malaysians.
Chua is wrong
Sensing a growing discontent in the public, Chua thought he would smooth things over but instead caused further opprobrium for both him and Ng, when he tried to justify her actions by blaming Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim whose policies, he said, were responsible for many non-Malays being rejected from local universities.
He said, “She did this because when Anwar was education minister during this time, it was very restrictive to the non-Bumiputera.”
Records indicate that Chua is wrong. Sulaiman Daud, a former vice-president of Sarawak’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB), served as the Education Minister from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 1995.
Chua reiterated Ng’s decision to apply for PR status: “She has said it very clearly – in this country, many people applied for PR status for the sake of education.”
Naturally, Chua failed to see the incongruity of Ng, a member of the Dewan Negara, holding Australian PR; the analogy of which could be of a married woman having a bit on the side.
Malaysians are appalled that Ng should apply for PR just so her son could benefit from free tuition in Australia. The act is dishonest and is akin to cheating.
Many Malaysians studied in Australia but they did not get PR simply to avoid paying the full fees.
For reasons known only to themselves, MCA prefers to keep mum on several discriminatory policies of BN. Instead of fighting for the rights of the Chinese, MCA Chinese just kowtow to their Umno masters.
Several points missed
Chua knows, but prefers not to say, that the discriminatory policies in education and other fields, started in the 1970s. If Chua were to consult the history books, the person appointed Education Minister in 1974 till 1978 was none other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He shaped many of the education policies which are carried through to this day, with even more intensity and ferocity.
Mahathir introduced the racial quota system for public university entry. His ministry had the power and authority to discipline students and academics who were politically active. English, as the medium of instruction in schools, was abolished.
While both Chua and Ng appear to be oblivious to Mahathir’s involvement, both freely admit that Umno’s policies forced many non-Malays to go abroad for their children’s education.
By virtue of the MCA membership, they are part of the ruling coalition. Both have enjoyed positions of seniority in the Cabinet and yet both failed to address the skewed and discriminatory policies in education.
What is the point of boasting about going abroad and seeking PR for free tuition, while the people they represent, struggle to give their children a decent education? If Ng, as a senior politician, failed to get help for her son’s education, then what chance has the ordinary Chinese who hope to pursue higher education in Malaysia?
Why is Ng serving the same government which discriminated against her?
What has she, and for that matter, her chief, Chua, done to overcome this discrimination, or overturn government policy concerning the education of the people?
Why have they not looked into the cost of private education, which is spiralling out of control and is just as expensive as overseas education?
Why did Chua choose to blame Anwar but not BN? No one man can create education policies on his own.
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) helps to serve the educational needs of the Chinese community. Why then did Utar reject the philanthropist Koon Yew Yin’s offer of RM30 million to build hostels for its students? Is Utar another MCA money-making scheme?
Both Chua and Ng seemed to have missed several points when it comes to the needs of the Chinese in Malaysia.
Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.