KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Gaming operator Sports Toto Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s donations were a portion of the National Sports Council’s (NSC) allocations when Khairy Jamaluddin was the youth and sports minister.
In the latest episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast with fellow ex-Umno member Shahril Hamdan, Khairy disclosed this while discussing the controversy behind an alcohol firm’s sponsorship to a vernacular school’s fundraising event.
“Most don’t know this but a part of the allocations for the NSC, when I was the minister, came from Sports Toto; this was also declared in Sports Toto’s financial statements,” he said.
“But there was no cheque ceremony and I never received a cheque from Sports Toto as it is a gambling firm.”
However, Khairy said it was a fact the government took the funds to promote health and sports, including for students.
The former Umno Youth chief said this was an important disclosure to make in the ongoing debate over accepting contributions from companies that operate in industries considered social vices.
The two also pointed out that corporate taxes of such firms would technically constitute as being derived from vices.
Earlier, Khairy said the guidelines for fundraising in school have existed unchanged since previous Barisan Nasional administrations, but conceded that there was some confusion over the prohibition.
While it said that there should not be involvement from companies dealing with alcohol, tobacco, and other activities deemed harmful to students, Khairy said the guidelines did not expressly say if the restriction included funds or just overt involvement.
Khairy acknowledged arguments that partially-funded vernacular schools had to resort to such sources of assistance, but said that as a former health minister, he agreed with keeping tobacco and alcohol firms away from students entirely.
“Still, the question is whether the government should clarify this ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to funding.”
The controversy stemmed from the attendance of Parti Amanah Negara’s Sepang MP Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu at a recent fundraising event where she appeared onstage with others holding a mock cheque that showed the Tiger Beer logo, among others.
The beer brand clarified last month that it did not give any money to vernacular schools in Malaysia, and that its support is limited to providing local artists for charity concerts to help raise funds from the public.
The Education Ministry also said last month that it would maintain the existing guidelines for school fundraising, which included discretion for vernacular schools be allowed to continue receiving donations through their school administration boards and foundations.
