DAP not interested in the tiff between UMNO and MCA or internal MCA rivalries but whether the BN government can fully disclose the details of all PSD scholarship holders and ensure that all top students get overseas scholarships?

Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 31^st May 2011:

DAP is not interested in the tiff between UMNO and MCA or internal MCA rivalries but whether the BN government can fully disclose the details of all Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship holders given on merit and ensure that all top students can get overseas scholarship. PSD had reserved 300 overseas scholarships for top students based purely on merit and not on race. Wee had claimed that not all these 300 overseas scholarships given were to top students based on merit.

MCA Youth chief and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had a public dispute over who was lying on whether there were abuses in the award of PSD scholarship. Wee had earlier exposed cases of top 8A+ students denied overseas scholarships granted to those with poorer results. Nazri had vehemently denied Wee's claims of abuses of power as baseless.

MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek then said that all top students should be awarded overseas scholarships. However when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that every 8A+ student will be awarded a scholarship but not all would be sent overseas, Wee agreed with the Prime Minister.

Now Wee has issued a statement that these were two separate matters and that both the Prime Minister and Chua was right. Wee even accused DAP of trying to drive a wedge between him and his MCA President.

This is confusing to the public. DAP is also not interested in internal MCA rivalries and faction politics. Everyone knows that Wee was part of the MCA faction that sacked Chua Soi Lek as a MCA member for Chua's involvement in the sex video tape scandal and Wee had vehemently opposed Chua's election as MCA President.

What DAP is interested in is to ensure that all top students get overseas scholarships as well as a full disclosure of the results of top scholarship students to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability. In response to Nazri's accusations that Wee is lying, Wee should also reveal the students who obtained overseas scholarships based on merit but were not top students.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan