FCAS applauds increase in education funding, allocation to Chinese schools
KOTA KINABALU: Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) president Tan Sri Dr. T. C. Goh yesterday lauded the increase of education funding and the unprecedented allocation directly for independent Chinese secondary schools and national-type Chinese secondary schools.
“Although each independent Chinese secondary school receives an average of RM200,000, this is a significant move that marks the beginning of the government’s recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
“I hope the allocation could be disbursed to the schools early next year for the board of governors to manage the funds accordingly,” he said.
He noted that the federal allocation, coupled with the State Government’s annual allocation for independent Chinese secondary schools, would motivate educators to carry out their mission for Chinese education.
Goh said this when commenting on the 2019 budget tabled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in Parliament on Friday.
He said Malaysia’s debt pressure and political considerations required a wise financial plan for the country. The budget appears to be less worrisome than expected, adding that the fiscal deficit projection from 3.7 per cent for 2018 to 3.4 per cent in 2019 was acceptable.
Of the RM314.5 billion budget, RM259.8 billion is allocated for operating expenditure, which constitutes 82.6 percent of the total allocation, a slight decrease from 83.6 per cent this year.
Meanwhile, he noted the RM54.7 billion for development expenditure reflected a huge imbalance between operating and development allocations.
“The government ought to address the heavy burden of the civil service. There is a need to cut down on civil servants whilst increasing their productivity,” he said.
On the other hand, Goh welcomed the series of measures to assist citizens in the lower income bracket, including RM85 million allocation for new villages, financial aid for poor households, RM120 for every child 19 years old and below, EPF i-SURI contribution for housewives, fuel subsidy for cars and motorcycles, increase of minimum wage nationwide, financial aid for retirees, monthly passes for public transportation users, freeze on toll charges and abolishing tolls for motorcycles on the First and Second Penang Bridge and the Second Link in Johor.
He said these measures must be implemented accordingly to benefit the target groups.
Goh also welcomed the reduction of corporate income tax rate for taxable income of up to RM500,000, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with less than RM2.5 million in paid up capital from 18 percent to 17 percent. He said this would boost the competitiveness of SMEs in Sabah.
He expressed optimism towards the country’s economic prospects with wise financial management by the government, supported by the private sector and strong domestic demand.
Nonetheless, he said the Malaysian economy has a challenging year ahead, particularly amid the labour shortage, fall in crude palm oil prices and safety concerns in the tourism sector.
“The government must be prudent in managing the country’s finances and formulate better policies that will boost our economy. Additionally, the government should attract more foreign investments, stimulate domestic demand, create a more conducive business environment and tax incentives and maintain political stability to ensure Malaysia continues to progress.
“With that, I believe our resource-rich nation can once again become one of the Asian tigers,” Goh said.