‘Schools allowed to accept donations from legal fund sources’
He (Zhang Jian) is a suspect, but we should look at whether the foundation is a registered organisation and whether its funds are sourced through proper channels.
KUCHING: A local community leader believes that Chinese independent schools in the state can accept donations from ‘Zhang Jian Jewellery Education Foundation’ if it is a legal entity with a legitimate source of funds.
Pemanca Ko Wai Neng said even though the founder of the foundation, Zhang Jian had been sent back to China after he was arrested by Indonesian police on June 6, the Chinese national ‘is innocent until proven guilty’.
‘ He ( Zhang Jian) is a suspect, but we should look at whether the foundation is a registered organisation and whether its funds are sourced through proper channels.
“But we still have to be cautious about accepting donations from the foundation,” he said when met at a function here yesterday.
On Saturday, chairman of Board of Management for Kuching Chung Hua Middle Schools (CHMS) No1, 3 and 4, Dato Richard Wee said a meeting should be called to decide
Pemanca Ko Wai Neng, local community leader
on whether to accept donations from the foundation.
During the interview, Wee said CHMS No 1 was the only Chinese independent school contacted by the foundation.
On Friday, chairman of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia ( Dong Zong) Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau said the association had rejected donations from the foundation due to the controversy surrounding Zhang.
Lau said it would be up to the individual schools whether they wanted to take the offer by the foundation.
It is reported that the foundation had offered a cash donation of RM3 million to be distributed among Chinese independent schools in the country.
It is said that as at last Friday, 18 Chinese independent schools in Peninsular Malaysia and six from Sabah had accepted the donation – about RM50,000 each.
Representatives of the foundation are expected come to the state next month.