KUALA LUMPUR: Measures have been in place since Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) was set up to ensure that politics and education remain separated, says its board of governors chairman Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic, fourth from right).
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He said when MCA set up TAR UC 50 years ago, its founders were clear of the need to have separation between politics and education and came up with measures and bodies to ensure that.
“When the TAR UC Foundation was formed, there were many layers to shield education from politics, with the foundation members as the first layer; the board of trustees as the second layer and the board of governors as the third layer,” said Liow.
The board of governors, the senior management and the principal are appointed based on professionalism, he said.
“There is a clear-cut separation of politics and education in TAR UC,” he said.
The former MCA president added that TAR UC had yet to receive the RM40mil allocation from the Government.
He alleged that Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had created confusion and led the public into believing that the Government had given the funds to TAR UC.
“We did not receive such funds. Whatever funds given to another body is another matter,” he said in a press conference after receiving a RM15,080 cheque raised by Vtar Institute on Thursday (Dec 19).
Liow when campaigning for GE14, also said that Lim had promised that Pakatan Harapan would continue to support TAR UC and its students if it formed the government.
“He made a U-turn and does not want to deliver … and he came up with the excuse that politics and education must be separated. This is an excuse he uses to confuse the public,” Liow claimed.
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He also said that the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) had sent TAR UC a letter on Jan 23,2019, stating that it had complied with all the laws in the country.
“But after four months, LHDN issued another letter saying we did not comply with the requirement that 50% of the board of trustees is to be made of independent trustees,” he said.
Liow said that MCA was committed to ensure that TAR UC complied with the law.
“We sent four independent trustees to the SSM (Companies Commision Malaysia),” he said.
Regardless of the situation, Liow said that the board of governors have plans to bring TAR UC to a higher level.
“The public are giving us the support, they are doing fundraising throughout the country,” he said.
On Nov 22, the Finance Ministry announced the reinstatement of a RM30mil allocation for TAR UC, which was raised to RM40mil on Dec 4 – with the condition that MCA must relinquish control of the university college.
It also said the grant would be channelled through a new trust fund to be operated by the TARCian Alumni Association (TAA), which leadership is made up of former TAR UC students.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong on Dec 17 also said that RM40mil channelled to the TAA was not the same as giving the fund to TAR UC.
He said that TAA and TAR UC (which legal owner is TARC Education Foundation) were two different entities and had nothing to do with each other. -The Star