Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Friday, 1^st February 2008:

A question each for five BN leaders over Hishammuddin’s approval for six new Chinese primary schools and relocation of 13 Chinese primary schools

It is front-page headline news in all the Chinese newspapers – the approval for six new Chinese primary schools and the relocation of 13 Chinese primary schools by the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein with the “All-for-one and one-for-all” group photograph of Hishammuddin with MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, MCA Secretary-General Datuk Ong Ka Chuan and Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon.

Nobody will say no to general election goodies, just as nobody will say no to gifts by “Santa Claus” on Christmas Day, although one is fully aware of the real intent of such goodies - which I will reserve for another occasion to touch on.

For the moment, I will like to ask a question each of the five BN leaders in the “one-for-all, all-for-one” group photograph “celebrating” the approval for six new Chinese primary schools and relocation of 13 Chinese primary schools.

To Hishammuddin – why didn’t he take the opportunity of his visit to MCA headquarters, his first as UMNO Youth leader, to publicly apologise for his “keris-wielding” at previous UMNO Youth general assemblies which was highly offensive, even by MCA and MCA youth leaders and members, for being utterly insensitive to the rights and feelings of other ethnic communities?

To Ong Ka Ting – why he had not given a full public accounting as to why previous general election promises for the building of new Chinese primary schools and relocation of Chinese primary schools for the 1999 and 2004 general elections had not been fulfilled 100%?

To Chong Kong Choy – why he had failed to give full accounting for the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as RM4.6 billion could have been better spent to build new Chinese primary schools throughout the country to meet needs based on increased enrolment and not to win votes before each general election.

To Ong Ka Chuan – why as MCA Perak leader he has failed to ensure that the Perak state benefit from the latest Chinese school “election goodies” as Perak has been excluded from the list of six new Chinese primary schools and 13 relocations – especially when at least two new Chinese primary schools should be built to ease the overcrowding in the Bercham Chinese primary school in Ipoh as it has over 3,300 students.

To Koh Tsu Kooon - what is he doing at the MCA Headquarters over the announcement when as Gerakan President and Penang Chief Minister, he has not been able to get a single school for Penang to be included in the latest “Chinese school election goodies” when Dong Jiao Zong has stated that Penang state urgently needs 13 new Chinese primary schools.

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* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman