GEORGE TOWN, November 10 – On November 9, 2023, Wong Yuee Harng, the Penang DAP assemblyman for Pengkalan Kota and the Youth Chief of the Tanjong DAP, made a statement in George Town, Penang, addressing the misrepresentation of Chinese school budgets by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). This statement comes in response to the MCA Acting President Mah Hang Soon’s Facebook post, where he admitted that the figures he had been mentioning.
Claiming RM74.07 million for Chinese schools in 2021 and an increase to RM86.03 million in 2022, were actually “budgetary estimates” and not the actual disbursement amounts received by Chinese schools. According to the Ministry of Education’s parliamentary response, Chinese schools received RM57.18 million in funding in 2021 and RM62.34 million in 2022. This significant difference in figures highlights the disparity between the budget estimates and the actual disbursements during Mah Hang Soon’s tenure as Deputy Education Minister.
Wong Yuee Harng emphasizes that the misrepresentation of funding figures is a serious matter, as it can create confusion and mislead the public, particularly the Chinese community. He points out that even MCA’s Deputy President, Chan Tien Ghee, mistakenly believed that the RM74.07 million and RM86.03 million figures were the actual maintenance funding amounts for Chinese schools, likening it to a blunder that should not be underestimated.
Wong Yuee Harng encourages the MCA leadership to ensure accuracy in their statements and avoid creating unwarranted misconceptions. He states that this incident has exposed the lack of understanding within the MCA about the difference between budget estimates and actual disbursements, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accuracy in conveying information related to Chinese school funding.
