Selangor Exco corrects Chua in Chinese school permit issue

By Melissa Chi

February 21, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government refuted today MCA’s claim that it had not approved any land for Chinese-type national schools to build on, saying it had been doing so since 2008.

Senior state executive councillor (exco) Teresa Kok reprimanded MCA president, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, for misleading the public that the PR pact had not allocated any land to Chinese vernacular schools since taking over the government in Selangor or Penang.

In a letter to Dr Chua today, she pointed out that Selangor had approved land for five Chinese schools in the past four years, which were: SJK(C) Hin Hua in Klang; SJK(C) Bandar Serendah in Hulu Selangor;  SJK(C) Balakong, Hulu Langat;  SJK(C) Connaught (2) in Hulu Langat; and SJK(C) Gurney which is also in Hulu Selangor.

Copies of the letter were made available to the media.

Kok (picture) added that Selangor had also allocated two pieces of state land in Tasik Prima Puchong to SJK(C) Yak Chee and SMJK(C) Katolik in Petaling Jaya to build their respective school branches.

The Selangor investment, trade and industry exco told Dr Chua to listen to his son, Tee Yong’s, advice and “stop political spinning of school land given by Selangor to the Chinese schools, but speak the truth when we furnish you with official documents.”

Kok said the MCA chief could have avoided making inaccurate and irresponsible comments on Selangor’s school land issues in future if he had checked his information carefully. She said she had provided copies of the official documents for his reference.

Dr Chua had made the claim during a televised debate on February 18 with political foe Lim Guan Eng, who is both Penang’s chief minister and the DAP’s secretary-general.

Kok urged Dr Chua’s to help  SJK(C) Yah Chee 2 and SMJK Katolik 2 with their application to the Education ministry to build new schools on the allocated land and prove the MCA was not using the issue to score political points.

MCA Youth chief Wee is deputy minister at the education ministry. Kok claimed he had rejected the applications from the two schools.