By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 9th October 1991:
Liong Sik and other MCA leaders are now very busy denying that TAR College would change its recruitment policy
In the last three days, the MCA national leaders, from its President. Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, downwards had been very busy denying that following the speech by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, at the Tunku Abdul Rahman College convocation last Saturday, TAR College would change its student recruitment policy or that it would introduce a quota system for non-Chinese students.
MCA leaders now declare that there is no need for any change of recruitment policy as TAR College had always opened it doors to non-Chinese students, but had not been able to attract non-Chinese students because the government had refused to recognize all its diplomas and courses.
Liong Sik also denied in today’s press that TAR College would introduce a quota system for non-Chinese students.
However, all these denials and clarifications are made only in the Chinese newpapers, and not in the Malay or English newspapers, or over Radio and Television newscasts which gave headline treatment last Saturday to Liong Sik’s reaction to Dr. Mahathir’s speech about TAR College introducing a quota system for non-Chinese students.
Mingguan Malaysia’ report on 6th October reported: “kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR) akan mengubah dasarnya dengan membuka pintu yang lebih luas kepada kaum lain untuk mengikuti kurses dikolej itu mulai tahun depan, kata pengerusinya. Dato’ Sri Dr. Ling Liong Sik.
“Sehubungan dengan itu, beliau berkata, pihaknya akan menghantar surat rasmi kepada Kementerian Pendidikan untuk mendapatkan kebenaran mengenai kuota baru kemasukkan pelajar KTAR.
“Ini merupakan perubahan dasar yang positif kerana kita tidak mahu pelajar-pelajar hanya bercampur gaul dengan satu kaum sahaja, katanya kepada para pemberita di majlis konvokesyen KTAR di Wisma MCA di sini hari ini.”
This was given front-page treatment in Mingguan Malaysia. But when Liong Sik and other MCA leaders claim that there is to be no change in recruitment policy of TAR College and that there would be no quota for the students for the different races, such clarification and denial was not given and published in the Bahasa Malaysia media, whether printed or electronic.
This is another case of political parasitism and hypocrisy of the MCA national leadership – saying different things for different racial audience, which is most deplorable and irresponsible. It is very sad that 34 years after Merdeka, this double-faced politics has become xxxxx part of MCA political philosophy and conduct.