Behind the Chinese school controversy :Ong Tee Keat

Ong Tee Keat

The dire need for a new Chinese primary school in any community is sure to attract support and will hog the limelight as far as the Chinese community is concerned. Politicians from both sides of the political divide will clamour for a piece of the action in the hope of winning the hearts and minds of the ethnic Chinese voters. In their minds, this is a short-cut that will catapult them into political stardom.

The scenario in my constituency, Pandan, is no different. Several months ago, my service centre received complaints from the public of a alleged misuse of public donations collected in 2007 purportedly for the building of a new Chinese primary school on a plot of land which was known to be a “green-lung” of Pandan Perdana. We were shocked to learn of this. However, no action could be taken as there was insufficient evidence to prove any misdeed or misappropriation.

Recently, the issue came to light again when a few individuals, including local residents who used to champion the said cause alongside the then potential DAP candidate for Teratai state constituency, Jenice Lee Ying Ha (present state assemblywoman for Teratai) came forth with more startling expose. They brought along hand-held fans bearing her portrait which they bought in the name of supporting the said school project. They parted with their hard earned money by buying the fans primarily to support a noble cause — the school project — not so much to support any individual personality nor was it to cool them from the hot weather.

That was when their dreams were dashed and nightmare began. Many politicians merely pay lip service to their claims of transparency and accountability. To date, no account of the donations was published, and the generous donors were kept in the dark of where their money had gone to. What is obvious is that there is no sign of any Chinese school in the area concerned.

The complaint was lodged at my service centre, and I was alerted to this incident by my constituency service assistant Cindy Leong. I promptly advised the complainants to lodge an official report to both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police. (Cindy Leong was merely escorting them to do the needful. She was not one of the complainants as was erroneously reported in certain media).

This has touched a raw nerve from the other side of the political divide and Jenice herself has come into the open to attempt to explain her stand, which has raised more questions than answers.

1) In the first place, why were the purported funds raised for a new Chinese primary school in Pandan Perdana championed by Jenice declared as DAP Party Funds? I, for one, am not against anyone raising funds for their own political interests and needs. However, collecting money from the public by claiming that they are being raised for a non-existent school reeks of abuse and is in bad taste. The education ministry record shows that such a project had never been approved.

2) Even if the funds raised were meant for her party, the donors and general public have a legitimate expectation to know the accounts such as the amount of monies raised and how far has it being used for the desired purpose of school project. This is not forthcoming.

3) The explanation that the status of the said plot of “green lung” had yet to be converted for use as school reserve is no more than a flimsy excuse. Jenice was successfully elected as the state assemblywoman in Teratai and has since been serving as a ruling party legislator in Selangor (presently under Pakatan Rakyat’s rule). Has she ever initiated any attempt to do the land conversion in her capacity of state assemblyperson in Teratai under the Pakatan held state of Selangor ever since she assumed office? Much to the chagrin of the complainants, the status of the said plot of land has hitherto remained unchanged. No applications for conversion had ever been made, making a mockery of the school fund raising project.

I am not interested in politicising the issue. However, as a responsible elected representative, I am under an obligation to get answers for the people who came to me for help. As bona fide donors and supporters, they had a legitimate expectation to know the truth. The way to resolve this is for my fellow elected state representative, Jenice Lee, to come forward by providing a clear and logical explanation about what happened to the monies raised and where they went. I am merely echoing what the people want and expect.

However, instead of providing valid and logical reasons, Jenice did exactly the opposite by further clouding the issue by resorting to name calling and smear tactics. She labelled me a “butcher” (when she called me to lay down the butcher’s chopper in Chinese) for no apparent reason. Furthermore, Cindy Leong’s good name was also dragged into the mud when she was accused of committing “political immorality” whereas she was merely facilitating the complainants’ legal and moral right to lodge a police report.

She also attempted to confuse and hoodwink the people by shifting the blame squarely on me and the federal government, knowing that powers of land conversion come under the jurisdiction of the State authorities of which she is now attached to. She can easily bring this issue up to the state government in her capacity as state assemblyperson but she has not done so in the past three years.

Jenice is free to say anything she wants but I am confident that the people are not as blind as her. I have always maintained the importance of walking the talk and have tried to fulfil what I’ve promised the people, especially on an important issue such as building of schools.

I am not part of her “buying a fan in support of a school” ploy and prefer to focus on my own initiative in securing the approval for relocating an under-enrolled Chinese primary school, SJKC Choon Hwa ( Batu 18, Hulu Langat) to Pandan. The initiative first began in 2006 and approval was granted in 2008.

In addition to this, a government allocation of RM3 million was successfully secured in 2009 for the School Building Committee and the Board of School Directors to build the school premises during my tenure as president of MCA. The committee comprising the community activists and educationists had in the past few years never burdened the public by calling for any form of fund raising. As an MP myself, I strongly maintained that government fund has to be solicited for the building of a government-run Chinese primary school.

As for Jenice, a former DAP supporter has candidly opined that she does not need to be fearful of any public scrutiny so long as she upholds the principle of transparency and accountability in dealing with public funds. Indeed this should be our common concern irrespective of party affiliation. Any ill-conceived contemplation to demonise the rightful complainants would render no service to protecting one’s credibility though it may help gloss over the issue for the time being. We’re still waiting for answers.