KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Finance’s Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) regrets the failure by some English and Chinese newspapers to fully report on the comments made by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix) on Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) at a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
The CCU, in a statement today, said Lim had given an assurance that the RM30 million annual funding for TAR UC would be fully restored when MCA relinquishes its political control over the institution and reiterated that there must be a separation between politics and public funding.
“This would mean RM30 million each for this year and next year, according to the minister. However, certain English and Chinese media did not report Lim’s emphasis that the government has no intention to take over TAR UC nor wants PH or DAP politicians to replace MCA,” the statement said.
According to the statement, Lim had stressed that MCA should relinquish control of TAR UC to professionals who are former students or alumni of TAR UC.
“He (Lim) said that TAR UC would be better off, when run professionally without any political or government interference, and would be allowed to determine its educational policy independently based on academic standards of excellence,” the statement said.
The statement also noted that Lim had cited the example of Koperasi Jaya Diri Malaysia Bhd (Kojadi), an MCA-controlled cooperative which received RM15 million from Yayasan 1MDB in 2012.
“Even though the then chairman of Kojadi Datuk Ng Peng Hay wanted to return the RM15 million to Yayasan 1MDB, MCA refused. Kojadi’s bank account was subsequently frozen by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission and Datuk Ng was also suspended as Kojadi chairman,” it said.
The Finance Ministry also hoped that media organisations could do their work professionally and competently, whatever their political affiliations.
Whilst media organisations can be politically partisan, either pro-MCA or pro-BN/PAS, press freedom requires them to report the facts fully and truthfully, it said. — Bernama
