JULY 29 — Non-Muslims, especially from the Chinese community, are upset at some NGOs and political leaders from former Education Minister Mazlee Malik, Umno Youth President Dr Muhammad Akmal Salleh and Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor for their preaching, patronizing tone and moralizing manner without understanding the underlying issue of Tiger and Carlsberg sponsoring fundraising activities for Chinese schools. The sponsorship for more than 30 years in Chinese or vernacular schools by brewery companies to raise much needed development funds, have been arrogantly dismissed by them as unhealthy and unethical.
Non-Muslim parents take umbrage at being “lectured” at what is healthy practice in bringing up their own children within the Chinese and vernacular education system. These parents are well aware of the necessity of distancing their children from alcohol. However they see nothing wrong in brewery companies involved in sponsoring the raising of funds for Chinese schools as a matter of survival.
The alternative to these public donations would result in the Chinese schools remaining in a shambolic and dilapidated condition to the detriment of the learning, health, safety and well-being of their children. Many of these parents opine that there is no need to source donations including from brewery companies if the federal government can guarantee to make up the shortfall by providing sufficient funds for Chinese schools.
There exists a strong cultural divide, almost a clash of values, between proponents and opponents of the involvement of brewery companies namely Tiger and Carlsberg, in sponsoring or fundraising activities for vernacular schools. Opponents who know nothing about the lack of development funds for Chinese schools rely on a moralistic rationale to object to brewery companies’ direct or indirect involvement in raising funds for these schools.
Opponents claim that there is no political motive based on racial or religious lines. They try to mask their shrill condemnation of brewery companies’ involvement by citing any advertisements portraying the symbol of Tiger and Carlsberg as harmful to the education and health of the students.
The fact is that brewery companies do not sell beer in the Chinese or vernacular schools. No student has been caught drinking or being drunk in the Chinese schools as alleged by Sanusi.
Full public funding of vernacular schools so that they do not need to rely on brewery companies for sponsorship of fund raising activities.
These strident ‘holier than thou’ voices fail to address and choose to completely ignore the fact that vernacular schools are forced to turn to public donations, including fundraising activities involving brewery companies, just to survive. Bear in mind that brewery companies of Tiger and Carlsberg have helped raise RM 981 million since 1987 for vernacular schools.
Tiger has raised RM 413 million since 1994 for 540 schools over the last 30 years. Carlsberg has raised RM 568 million for 684 schools over the last 37 years since 1987. This RM 981 million is critical due to the shortfall in development funding by the Education Ministry.
For instance in the 2022 Budget alone, RM 120 million was allocated for vernacular schools(SJKC and SJKT). This is grossly insufficient. In the end, vernacular schools were not given RM 120 million as promised but RM 110 million.
It is ironic that those condemning vernacular schools for allowing brewery companies to be involved in sponsoring fundraising for them, do not press the Education Ministry to make up for the difference from such sponsorship by brewery companies. Why the double-standard?
Non-Muslim parents do not fear for their children in Chinese or vernacular schools being influenced by brewery companies as much as fear more for the survival of these schools without much needed development funds.
So, faced with the need to survive against the ethical concerns of allowing brewery companies to sponsor fund raising activities, do the so-called moralistic voices suggest that Chinese or vernacular schools choose to simply not survive by rejecting such public donations because it is “unhealthy”?
That is the reason why for the last 37 years, non-Muslim parents chose to accept this arrangement of sponsorship by brewery companies without allowing their children to be influenced by them. This arrangement has worked so far when not one parent in Chinese or vernacular schools have complained of their children being influenced by the brewery companies into drinking beer or are drunk.
Despite the current Education Minister’s aide claiming that PAS supports the Cabinet decision of continuing the past practice of brewery companies sponsoring fund raising activities for Chinese schools only, nothing could be further from the truth. PAS continues to object to the Cabinet decision even though this involves Chinese schools and not Muslims. (When PAS was in power in 2020-2022, PAS did not object to brewery companies raising funds for vernacular schools)
Non-Muslim parents do not want to see this matter politicised by those who do not know how Chinese schools are forced to operate to seek public funds to survive for the last 70 years. In other words, non-Muslim parents do not fear for their children in Chinese or vernacular schools being influenced by brewery companies as much as they fear more for the survival of these schools without much needed development funds.
This is the prevailing sentiment amongst non-Muslims. Can those objecting to the Cabinet decision and want Chinese or vernacular schools to cease all involvement with brewery companies to stop their preaching and just come up with the money?
Lim Guan Eng
DAP National Chairman
July 29, 2024
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
