TAR UC issue casts long shadow over DAP
Most Chinese supported the DAP in the May general election, but the move by Lim Guan Eng to cut a government matching grant for TAR University College is causing revulsion against his party.
SINCE news broke last month that Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (LGE) had in Budget 2019 axed the RM30mil matching grant for Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), the Chinese community has not stopped lashing out at him and his party DAP.
In the Budget, the Finance Ministry only allocated a mere RM5.5mil as development fund for TAR UC – founded by DAP’s political rival MCA.
The annual allocation of a onefor-one matching grant for TAR UC under the previous Barisan Nasional government ranged from RM30mil to RM60mil. This had gone on for the past 50 years since the inception of TAR UC in 1968.
Removing the matching grant has touched a raw nerve within the Chinese community as this is likely to cause TAR UC, known to charge affordable tuition fees, to raise its fees.
Effectively, this means students from the poorer segment of the society will be hit.
Although Chinese voters had largely rejected the MCA in the May general election (GE14), many are now rallying behind it on the TAR UC issue.
The Chinese take cognisance that this institution of higher learning has for the past 50 years served the community well in this complex and race-sensitive multi-racial society.
With its affordable fees – possibly the lowest among all university colleges, and a relatively good reputation for its professional and technical courses, TAR UC – along with its sister university Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman or UTAR (set up in 2001) – has nurtured close to 200,000 graduates. Among these are leaders in the new government.
Due to Chinese support in land and cash donations to the establishment and expansion of TAR UC, a non-profit organisation, the institution is now viewed as an integral part of the Chinese community.
From the first campus in Sepatak with land given by the government, TAR UC has expanded branches to Penang, Pahang and Sabah.
In the last 17 years, MCA has also built two UTAR campuses in Sungai Long (Selangor) and Kampar (Perak) with the support of the Chinese community.
The business community might recall that in the 1970s and 1980s before private colleges were allowed to be established, TAR UC – known as TAR College before 2013 – had trained thousands of accountants to cater for the their need in commerce.
Currently, graduates from UTAR and TAR UC account for 40% of the accountants in Malaysia, according to unofficial estimates.
For these reasons, targeting TAR UC hurts the Chinese community. And pent-up feelings have been vented through the Chinese media.
A newspaper writer aptly summarised the prevailing sentiment of the community with the famous “cat theory” of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping when he opened up China’s economy in the late 1970s:
“It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white; as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat.”
To the Chinese community, it does not matter who owns TAR UC and UTAR; as long as these institutions can serve Chinese interest for the good of the community and nation, they are good institutions to be safeguarded.
The first major Chinese education groups to state their stand against Lim’s move to remove the grant were Dong Zong and Jiao Zong.
But the main dissenting voices have emerged from the Chinese media, seen as the mouthpiece and conscience of the community.
Other normally-vocal Chinese associations have kept their unusual silence mainly because this politicised issue has become divisive.
Most comments and editorials in the Chinese media have been sharp and ruthless against Lim.
Inevitably, some stray bullets have also hit the Pakatan Harapan government, in which DAP is a key component.
Lim, also the secretary general of DAP, has been criticised for going back on his pledge before GE14 that he would treat all groups fairly, irrespective of political leanings.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong noted that when Lim was in the opposition last year, he had questioned why the government had reduced allocation for UTAR and TAR UC.
Lim is now seen as abusing his position in government to launch a political vendetta against Dr Wee, who had engaged in ferocious political exchanges with Lim before GE14.
In writings by opinion leaders in the Chinese media, the DAP and Pakatan have been reminded not to take Chinese support for the new government for granted.
In GE14, about 95% of the Chinese voters supported DAP and other Pakatan Harapan component parties to oust the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Lim’s oppressive approach in handling the TAR UC issue has not endeared himself to the Chinese community.
Not only has Lim cut the matching grant, he has also warned about taking action against MCA if TAR UC raises tuition fees.
Nanyang Siang Pau’s editorial on Nov 30 warned of a political backlash: “This fiasco is hurting the Pakatan government. By removing the grant and disallowing fees to be raised, this can only force peo- ple to view the government as high-handed and authoritarian.”
Commentators have also advised the Pakatan government to draw lessons from the recent local elections in Taiwan, in which President Tsai Ing-wen’s ruling party lost miserably after only three years in office.
Taiwanese rejected Tsai for persistently playing divisive politics, focussing on anti-China rhetoric while ignoring the people’s wishes to have a good and peaceful life.
The sharp plunge in tourists from China under Tsai’s rule has seen hotels and retail business closing, loss of jobs and outflow of talents.
The current raging exchanges between Lim and Dr Wee, which do not seem like they will end any time soon, shows that Lim has been abusing ministerial power to oppress his rival.
In the beginning, Lim and his DAP colleagues explained the government had insufficient funds. But in subsequent statements, Lim said he would allocate RM30mil if MCA cut ties with TAR UC and UTAR.
In Budget 2019, Lim has also removed the allocation of RM50mil for loans to Chinese SMEs and RM30mil as micro credit for Chinese hawkers and petty traders, previously handled by the MCA.
Despite the rising heat, leaders from other Pakatan component parties have been silent on the current firestorm.
“No one can tell LGE off. But I am sure other leaders are watching,” said a Pakatan insider.
To Lim’s credit as a politician, he recently succeeded in stirring up a divisive debate on political ownership of education institutions and managed to win some support.
He suggested that the little-known Alumni Association of TAR UC take over the ownership and management of UTAR and TAR UC.
Meanwhile, Lim also announced small grants for three private unversity colleges – Southern UC, New Era UC and Han Chiang UC.
It did not come as a surprise when these three colleges subsequently issued a joint statement to support Lim on TAR UC ownership change.
In fact, this ownership issue has also caught the attention of other political parties which have emulated MCA to set up institutions to serve their targetted groups.
The Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology University is owned by the MIC; Wawasan Open University by Gerakan; and Universiti Tun Abdul Razak was founded by Umno when Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad was premier for the first time.
While the principle of divorcing education from politics strikes a chord with academics and idealists, TAR UC has to be treated differently as it has a history behind it.
TAR College – before it was upgraded to a university college in 2013 – was borne out of a political compromise between MCA and UMNO leaders in the 1960s, to provide an avenue for tertiary education for Chinese school leavers.
Hence, TAR UC cannot be treated like any other institution. It has served a special need in Malaysian society and has played an essential role in national development.
In the history of higher education in Malaysia, TAR UC is the only institution set up with an Instrument of Government in the Parliament.
It is also the only private tertiary education institution that has five government representatives in its board of governors.
The MCA has defended its ownership of the universities, saying it had neither exploited nor politicised these institutions. It has also said it does not interfere with the management.
“If MCA politics had infiltrated TAR UC and brainwashed its students, how could people like Chong Eng, Teresa Kok and Chow Kon Yeow etc become DAP leaders? How could the alumni support DAP?” Dr Wee said.
In fact, managing educational institutions is no child’s play. Who will take responsibility if these two institutions are not managed properly under the new owner and manager?
Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, the head of the new think tank KASI, observed: “TAR UC has built up a formidable reputation and track record and has gained the confidence of parents and students.
“I don’t think the TAR UC alumni can better manage the university college as not many of them have a background in education.”
But political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun gave a differing view: “A university is best managed by academics, with the board focussing on fund-raising and public relations.
“Alumni running both institutions will likely be no better or no worse than the current board.”
As it is, the Chinese community is not prepared to take the slightest risk, as they have seen how power struggles and personal clashes have led to the decline of institutions.
It is learnt that a Chinese private college could only enrol 100 new students during the height of a leadership crisis that resulted from acrimonious infighting and a struggle for power.
It would be a catastrophe if the total student population of UTAR and TAR UC dwindled to a few hundreds from the current 28,000.
“Not everything the previous government did was bad. Since the MCA has proven it can manage TAR UC well, let the status quo stay. For the past 50 years, we have not seen any chaos,” said a graduate of TAR UC, also Pakatan supporter in GE14.
“If Guan Eng can use tax-payers’ money to allocate RM6.1bil to MARA in the Budget to help poor Malay students, which we Chinese don’t object to, there is no reason for Guan Eng not to give RM30mil to help the poor Chinese students,” he added.
Indeed, Dr Wee sent a relief message to the Chinese community when he pledged at the MCA annual general meeting last Sunday:
“MCA will stand firm on the issue of TAR UC and will fight right till the end.
“TAR UC was founded by MCA and no one can deny our efforts and contribution. This is our territory and no one can rob us of TAR UC.”