Former Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon made a brief appearance in Butterworth to dish out cheques to representatives of mission schools in Kedah and Penang.
Representatives of 30 to 40 mission schools in the two states received cheques in an hour-long ceremony yesterday afternoon at the St Mark’s Secondary School canteen, which has been refurbished into a school hall of sorts.
In all, Penang mission schools received a total of RM4.25m. St Mark’s Secondary School alone is believed to have received RM500000 for its four-storey building project. Kedah mission schools obtained a total of over RM1m.
Addressing the gathering of about a hundred people, Tsu Koon spoke of promises being fulfilled (janji ditepati).
Miniature national flags were also distributed to the mission school reps and at the end of the ceremony, the PA system blared out the 1Malaysia song. Those who felt like it could join in as the lyrics were provided in the programme and the reps were encouraged to wave the flags to the music.
“Some of us joined in,” said one of the school reps. “By then, we had already received the cheques.”
Bernama had reported on 6 September that the government had allocated RM100m in the 2012 Budget for 428 missionary schools throughout the country. “… on average, each school receives between RM40000 and RM50000, while some schools might get more as they are being repaired or expanded,” Tsu Koon was reported as saying. That is one of the largest federal government handouts to mission schools in recent times.
In the case of Penang, quite a number of schools received more than RM100000 each, according to a source – more than the RM40000-RM50000 figure mentioned by Koh in the Bernama report.
Indeed, it has been good times for the mission schools in Penang as they had also received similar handouts from the Penang state government not long ago.
Since 2009 the Penang state government has allocated more than RM30m to the religious, vernacular and mission schools in the state. “This has given much pressure on BN to keep up. In the last two years, the federal government has given RM600000 to a missionary school in Bukit Mertajam, which is unprecedented,” Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy was reported as saying last October.
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“Stealth taxes” :
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stealth-taxes.asp
Left hand raises taxes quietly (e.g. recent increase in price of RON 97)
while the right hand distributes money widely and openly to buy electoral support and votes. (Of course, there is some “leakage” in between)
What’s interesting is that both the right hand and the left hand know what the other hand is doing!
It is disgusting to use public money for political mileage. Our debt ratio is running high but to BN it is spend or die. We must teach them a lesson, vote them out!
Dunno. I always feel bad when BN giving money to schools. But it is so refreshing when Dap giving money to schools. I love DAP. Maybe DAP is Chinese and LGE looks like Chai Seng Yeah (god of wealth) when giving money.
Santa is marketing gimmick. So fake and unreal.
What else can BN do to entice votes from the people besides giving money? Why? Because BN thinks that people are foolish and can be easily bought over by money Like the BN politicians!!
That is why all the more we have to vote Pakatan Rakyat. It is because of Pakatan who gave out welfare immediately after they formed the govt that Najib BN decided to payout near election time. PR gave 100 and you get 500. Pakatan gave 50k to school and you get 400k – 1million. If you have notice for the past 53 years under total BN UMNO grip you get nothing. Now with PR in 5 states later robbed of 1 states only then will you get the moneys and benefits. Thats is why you must vote Pakatan Rakyat. If… Read more »
Why accept check from BN? They should reject it as DAP can give them more money. In DAP we trust. In LGE we trust. ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU ABU
Because it is the taxpayers’ maney that the (harga)Barang Naik government is dishing out as if it is their grandfather’s money. So, take it willingly and promise like a BN politician (whose promises are never kept) but vote for the OPPOSITION. This KTK who is a ‘belakang masuk’ minister … Worse of all he has no shame. He lost to a newbie. That alone shows that the people of Penang has rejected him and his party that is a part of BN, Yet, he has the temerity to show his face with a cheque to appease the people … Enough… Read more »
Hi everyone, Education is under the purview of the Federal Govt. Nonetheless, it helps if aid is forthcoming from the State Governments! See the beauty of a 2-party system – that both the State Governments and the Federal Government have to ensure that they serve the PEOPLE through social and economic programmes, by being politically right even in education infrastructure funding! All these programmes though must come hand-in-hand with FIDUCIARY responsibility, with this I refer to the Pg State Govt’s allocation to all schools, including mission schools, chinese and tamil schools, agama schools, etc, from the budget surplus brought about… Read more »
Take the offering but do not vote for BN!
Not Janji diTepati, but ‘Terdesak hampir mampus dah’..
After 50 years, BN now under pressure to dish out some money to mission schools! Thanks to PR!
PR just need one term and able to dish out money to mission schools without asking!
Dedicate this to Santa Koh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw0aoVpFCDw&w=400
was that Mdm Kee receiving the check from Santa in the 1st pic ? Now i know why tunglang was recently enticed by possible Santa’s “donation” to realize his dream of a street food museum in such manner. Need to know LHTRH (left hand to right hand) $ transfer hypothesis as later we will pay back with GST and possible tariff hikes in electricity !
Hi Lord Jim. You truly have a warped thinking of mixing politics with street food museum, a project (whether state sponsored, federal sponsored or most likely private initiative) for the state tourism as much as it is for recognition of our Ori-Maestros. Beyond a strategic marketing tool, the museum will be a treasure house for our food culture, secret recipes & safe-keeping of hawker artifacts. I am so sad that people like your ‘Lordship’ can think with such Kia Su behavioral pattern & fear factor, which btw has been a political negative influence all the while on local entrepreneurial talents.… Read more »