Chinese universities will get crutches if MCA bails out

(FMT) – Political analysts have backed the call for MCA to cut ties with the two varsities founded by the party following the finance minister’s warning that government funding for the institutions may otherwise be affected.

Speaking to FMT, Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya said the once-popular Chinese party which formed the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition together with Umno and MIC was no longer in power.

“The allocations of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) will be affected if they are still seen as linked with MCA,” he said.

“Whether they like it or not, to ensure that both universities get the allocations, a complete revamp of their managements must be done so they can be seen as Pakatan Harapan (PH)-friendly.”

He warned of political implications if MCA continued to be associated with TAR UC and Utar.

“Don’t let students be the victims of this rivalry between MCA and PH,” he added.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had told MCA to break ties with the two varsities before the government provides them with more allocations, adding that politics and education should not be mixed.

“Both Utar and TAR UC must not be owned by MCA,” he said when asked by MCA president Wee Ka Siong about the drop in funds for the institutions under Budget 2019.

MCA subsequently defended its ownership of the universities, saying it had neither exploited nor politicised the institutions. It also denied taking money from the varsities for political purposes.

Independent political analyst Kamarul Zaman Yusoff agreed that political parties had no business owning and running universities.

“I agree that universities need to be separated from politics, be it MCA with Utar; MIC with the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology University; Gerakan with Wawasan Open University; or Umno with Universiti Tun Abdul Razak,” he told FMT.

He suggested that regulations be put in place requiring boards of directors to comprise government officers or neutral individuals.

He also cautioned the government against being seen as indulging in “political vengeance”.

“The fact that these universities are already operating makes it important for the government not to be seen as hindering their progress.

“Vengeance is not the best way to attract support from the people,” he said, adding that many Chinese people were also dissatisfied with the move to reduce the universities’ funds.

If the situation was not dealt with quickly, he said, Lim and his party DAP risked a backlash from the Chinese community as well as the students.

“A compromise needs to be made by both sides to ensure that things do not become worse, and that neither side is affected by this development.”

Oh Ei Sun from the Pacific Research Centre however disagreed, saying the non-Malays would continue to support DAP. He added that he foresaw no racial tension if the issue continued.

“It’s only MCA making ineffectual noises,” he told FMT.

Political geo-strategist Azmi Hassan from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Perdana School urged Lim to be fair, saying there were state government-linked funds for institutions of higher learning which should also be stopped.

However, he agreed with the move to hold off an increase in allocation of funds, saying it was obvious that political ownership of TAR UC and Utar would not be good for academic freedom.

“Institutions of higher learning should not be used as a conduit for political parties to serve their purposes,” he said.

James Chin from the University of Tasmania meanwhile said MCA was “playing up” the issue in the hopes of eroding Chinese support for DAP.

He too disagreed that it would lead to racial tensions.

“This is only a big issue in the Chinese community,” he said.