KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Alcohol brand Tiger Beer has clarified that it did not give any money to Chinese schools in Malaysia, and that its support is limited to providing local artists for charity concerts to help raise funds from the public.

Tiger Beer said the Chinese Education Charity Concert (CECC) has existed for 30 years, and that the concert’s mission is to be a platform for local communities to help raise funds to upgrade facilities at Chinese schools.

"As an alcohol brand, we do not make any monetary contributions to the school. Our role in the CECC is solely in presenting local performing artists for the concert that is organised for the donors.

"Our communications and engagements are kept at the level of the school’s Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBG) and the board members that run the schools,” it said in a press statement issued yesterday.

Tiger Beer said local communities had to date raised over RM413 million through the CECC platform "without any donations from our beer brand to the schools”.

"The organisers have always been mindful in ensuring that all programmes and activities organised are respectful of religious, cultural sensitivities and compliant with the local regulations,” it concluded.

The charity concert has been held since 1994, and one such concert was held at national-type Chinese primary school SJK(C) Tche Min in Sungai Pelek, Sepang in Selangor.

The attendance of Parti Amanah Negara’s Sepang MP Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu at the fundraising event attracted controversy and criticism from rival party PAS, as she was seen photographed onstage along with other individuals with a mock cheque.

On the mock cheque, the logos of Tiger Beer and local Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily were featured along with the Mandarin words for "Chinese Education Charity Concert” and "30th anniversary” appearing over the school’s name written, while total RM3,175,034.88 sum raised to build a school hall was also shown.

On July 18, the Sepang parliamentary service centre on its Facebook page explained that the school’s board of directors had invited all donors — including Aiman Athirah who had contributed RM100,000 — to the charity event; adding that the donors who contributed by buying up the 160 tables at the fundraising dinner included Sungai Pelek residents, school alumni and parents.

The statement added that it is understood that the beer brand had helped in providing the platform for fundraising and handled the event to thank the donors and that it did not make any donation to the school, adding that Aiman Athirah as a guest was not informed who would be handling the event.

Aiman Athirah’s Sepang parliamentary service centre also clarified it had so far given out RM1.2 million or almost 50 per cent of her allocation for this year for education purposes in Sepang, including to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Lang (RM150,000), Sekolah KAFA Desa Pinggiran Putra (RM200,000) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putra Perdana (RM130,000).

Yesterday, news portal Malaysiakini reported DAP’s Sungai Pelek assemblyman Lwi Kian Keong — who contributed RM10,000 for the school hall — as saying that both he and Aiman Athirah only learned onstage that the mock cheque brought out had a Tiger Beer logo.

Lwi also reportedly said that the lawmakers did not know before the event that a brewery was a strategic partner for the school’s fundraising event, and criticised the school for not stepping forward to admit that it was the school’s mistake.