KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 ― DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today said that he will be filing a defamation lawsuit against MCA vice-president Tan Teik Cheng and The Star newspaper.

The Opposition lawmaker accused both the ruling party politician and the MCA-linked publication of making false allegations that he had imposed conditions for a vernacular school in Johor to receive RM4 million in government allocations when he was finance minister during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal administration.

"This is false and untrue. The RM4 million was handed over even though construction had not yet begun. As Finance Minister, I had never set the condition that SJKC Kuek Ho Yao must change its name to receive my allocation of RM4 million.

"The Star should pay the price for being a purveyor of fake news for its owner MCA,” Lim said in a statement.

According to the Bagan MP, The Star had published an article two days ago that cited Tan saying that Lim had granted SJKC Kuek Ho Yao the RM4 million on the condition that the school change its name.

SJKC Kuek Ho Yao is located at UMLand Seri Austin in Johor and was named after a prominent Johorean and philanthropist Tan Sri Kuek Ho Yao who was cousin to Malaysian magnate Robert Kuok.

Kuek died aged 96 in 2012. The school’s groundbreaking ceremony in 2018 was launched by then MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who was the party’s deputy president at that time.

In his statement, Lim said that during the 22 months of PH administration, he had allocated RM43 million to 26 Chinese primary schools to be built through then deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching, adding that no conditions were imposed for their construction.

The DAP and MCA are political rivals taking part in the ongoing Johor state election. Early voting took place yesterday. Polling day is on March 12.