Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Penang on Tuesday, 7^th June 2011: 

All top SPM scorers should get an overseas PSD scholarships 

DAP insists that all top SPM scorers should get an overseas Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships and not 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) grants to study in local public and private universities in the interests of fairplay, reward performance based on excellence not mediocrity and demonstrate the country's commitment to retain our human talent.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz announced yesterday that 500 special education grants would be disbursed by 1MDB to the rejected applicants. The scholarships to public universities would be worth RM7,500 a year and scholarships for study of critical courses in private universities would be worth RM15,000 a year while grants for non-critical courses would be worth RM7,500.

At the same time, DAP condemns the BN government for failing to uphold transparency and accountability by making public the detailed results of all those who were awarded overseas scholarships. MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has still not explained why MCA Ministers failed to fulfil Chua's promise to award all top SPM scorers with PSD overseas scholarships. Chua would do well to read the article by his predecessor Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat in Malaysiakini that BN's failure to award overseas PSD scholarships equally to all SPM top scorers has reflected negatively on BN.

Instead of responding to MCA's failure that even his predecessor Ong had criticised, MCA is trying to distract attention by attacking the Penang PR state government for lying that Penang does not have enough money to provide scholarships to top students. MCA claims that Penang has vast wealth to spend on overseas scholarships because Penang came out top in investments with RM 12.2 billion in 2010.

If MCA can not differentiate between foreign and domestic investments with revenue then MCA does not deserve to be part of government. Investments are held by the private sector to spend to generate jobs and economic growth, not revenue for the state government to spend. Perhaps all MCA leaders should undergo a basic course of finance. Further the Penang PR state government is still trying to clean up years of BN's misrule and abuse of power in the state that caused RM230 million in losses to Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai(MPSP) until MPSP became practically bankrupt and the Tang Hak Ju land scam that costs the state RM40 million.

Despite these revenue constraints, Penang PR has continued to award loans at local public universities to all deserving Penang students equally. Penang PR has also increased the primary and secondary school grants(not loans) to poor students. DAP pledges that unlike Barisan Nasional (BN), all deserving top students in the country will be awarded the same scholarships if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wrins control of the federal government.

This pledge to award overseas scholarships equally to all top students is necessary to win Malaysia's future by escaping the middle-income trap to become a high-income economy with USD15,000 per capita income. Malaysia would be sending a wrong message if we reward mediocrity instead of excellence, do not have a level-playing field that is fair to the best and brightest and allow the brain drain to continue. The time has come to invest our resources in the future by spending tens of billions of ringgit on human talent instead of squandering it on corruption and white elephant projects likes the RM 5 billion 100-storey Menara Warisan.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister