Loke to consult Cabinet on beer-backed school fundraisers controversy tomorrow

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke will consult the Cabinet tomorrow on the fundraising activities by beer companies for Chinese school development.

“Tomorrow I will go to the Cabinet.

“I will tell them that this guideline should be revised.

“The guidelines should not have such restrictions, at least not for Chinese primary schools,” Loke said.

He said this at the press conference held at SMK Besar in Banting, Negeri Sembilan.

He said there have never been problems for the past 30 years, but the issue has recently been politicised by Pas.

“These programmes, including charity concerts, are usually held outside the schools, such as in restaurants, to raise funds for the development of such schools,” he said.

Loke mentioned that he had attended a similar event last week where a brewery helped raise funds for a school.

“We have always been aware of the situation in Malaysia, where many Chinese schools need to fundraise.

“Fundraising occurs through various methods, so there are at least 10 Chinese education charity events each year,” he said.

Loke said it is unfortunate that this is now being made an issue, as these companies are legal, incorporated in Malaysia and pay taxes.

On July 19, Selangor Pas Youth chief Sukri Omar criticized Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu for attending a ceremony where Tiger Beer contributed RM3 million to build a hall at SJK(C) Tche Min in Sungai Pelek, Sepang.

Sukri argued that involving the beer company in such projects normalizes alcohol in educational settings.

On July 22, the Education Ministry issued a statement reminding educational institutions to follow existing guidelines regarding program organization and donation acceptance.

These guidelines prohibit donations from sources such as gambling, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, as they could negatively impact students’ intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical development.

In a related development, Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee Chuan How revealed that former deputy education minister datuk Chong Sin Woon was responsible for instituting the directive against brewery companies.