Hawker helps raise funds for varsity
Man donates 10 sen to Tar UC for every bowl of curry noodles he sells
GEORGE TOWN: A hawker here has brought back memories of the 1970s when labourers and trishaw riders chipped in to help raise funds to build Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC).
For every bowl of curry noodles he sells, he will donate 10 sen to TAR UC.
Loke Thean Meng, 59, said that in the 1970s, people from all walks of life contributed to the building fund of the then college.
“I remember people such as hawkers, trishaw riders and hairdressers doing their very best to collect money and donate it to the college. This year marks TAR UC’s 50th anniversary and it is facing difficulties.
“It is time for me to contribute and do something for the future generations,” said the father-ofthree, adding that his youngest daughter is doing her third year in the university college.
What surprised Loke was that when he announced his decision on his Facebook account on Friday, his post was shared around and eventually viewed by 150,000 people in just a day.
But despite his post going viral, Loke’s curry noodles stall in Tanjung Bungah will not be contributing much to TAR UC.
“I prepare the ingredients for about 80 bowls every day and will not sell more than that because I don’t want to tire myself out.
“I am committed to donating at least RM10 from my sales every day. Since Friday, I have collected RM118 because some of my customers decided to contribute to the fund too,” he said on Saturday.
Loke added that no officials from TAR UC had approached him yet and he would keep the money for the time being and decide later on how to send it to the institution.
Under Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s Budget 2020, not only was the matching grant for TAR UC not reinstated, but the development funds for it were also cut to RM1mil from RM5.5mil.
TAR UC is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Malaysia and the alma mater of more than 200,000 graduates.
It is the only institution in the world approved by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to internally assess all the nine modules of ACCA Fundamentals taken by TAR UC degree students.
Spotted enjoying Loke’s curry noodles were TAR UC students Tye Kher Loon, 23, and Jeroum Chin, 25.
“We decided to drop by after seeing the Facebook post,” Tye said.
“We get to have a meal and at the same time contribute to our university college, so why not?”