Press Statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Thursday, 24th May 1990 at 11.30 a.m.
DAP calls on MCA, Gerakan and SUPP Ministers to list out all the provisions in the Education Bill 1990 which are detrimental to Chinese education and Chinese primary schools
Education Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was reported as saying after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Education Bill 1990 that s final decision had not been taken but the provision to abolish the Boards of management of ‘fully-aided’ Chinese primary schools may be dropped from the Education Bill 1990.
The question of the abolition of the Boards of Management of the 432 ‘fully-aided’ Chinese primary schools should not have arisen in the first place, if the Barisan Nasional government is sensitive about the concern and love of the Chinese community for Chinese education and Chinese primary schools.
What the people want to know is why the Cabinet Committee cannot immediately resolve this issue, and decide once and for all that there would be no question of the abolition of the Boards of Management of the 432 Chinese primary schools?
This gives rise to the important question what are the other provisions in the Education Bill 1990 which are detrimental to Chinese education and Chinese primary schools. I call on the MCA, Gerakan and SUPP Ministers to list out all the provisions in the Education Bill 1990 which are detrimental to Chinese education and Chinese primary schools.
In fact, the responsibility of the MCA, Gerakan and SUPP Ministers on the Cabinet Committee is to ensure that iron-clad provisions are included in the Education Bill 1990 to ensure that the position of Chinese education and Chinese primary schools could never be questioned and undermined, whether directly or indirectly, whether by legislative, administrative, financial or any other advised. For this purpose, the repeal of Section 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act is not enough.
In today’s press, the Deputy Education Minister, Woon See Chin, said that the work of the Cabinet Committee on the Education Bill 1990 is entering id final stage, and that in fact, many provisions had already been agreed by the six Ministers in the Cabinet Committee.
If this is the case, then I call on the Cabinet Committee to make public all those provisions which it had reached agreement, as there are only 18 days left to the June meeting of Parliament, which is to debate and vote on the new education act.
Call on Transport Minister, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, to explain about the planned Taiwan boycott of MAS
It has been reported that Taiwan newspapers and consumer associations are planning a boycott of MAS if MAS continues to use the DC-10 leased from World Airways on the Kuala Lumpur-Taipei route.
According to the Taiwanese English daily, The China Post, a former MAS staff, Huang Chen-hsiang, had been sacked by MAS after he lodged a complaint to the China Aviation Authority (CAA) about the two DC010s used by MAS for the Taipei route, namely serial no. N102UA and M902WA. One of the DC-10s was later withdrawn from service.
Such reports can only have negative effects on Malaysia’s international efforts to promote the country as a tourist destination. As Transport Minister, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, owes the public a full explanation about the air-worthiness of the DC-10, not only on the Taipei route, but also on other routes.
Malaysians will be the people who will mostly be travelling on the DC-10, whether on the Taipei route or other routes. For this reason, the Malaysian travelling public have a right to know the routes which this DC-10 is presently servicing.
DAP calls for a full review by a special Parliamentary Committee on the entire $4.5 billion British arms deal
It has been reported that the Malaysian Government has decided to cancel its highly publicised plan to buy 12 Tornado fighter jets worth $2 billion and that the Government is thinking of buying 20 Hawk fighter-trainers instead.
This change in choice of fighter aircraft would not affect the $4.5 billion British arms deal concluded by the Malaysian Government for air and ground defence equipment, as well as anti-submarine defence equipment. It is this British arms deal which the British newspaper, the Observer, alleged had been accompanied by a 10 per cent kick-back for UMNO Baru and some other influential individuals amounting to some $450 million.
What is needed is not a review of the particular type of fighter aircraft, but a review of the entire $4.5 billion British arms deal. DAP calls for a full review by a special Parliamentary Committee on whether Malaysia should go through with the $4.5 billion British arms deal.