WHEN taxpayers’ money is given away to schools in the name of a political party, it becomes a matter of public concern.
Any doubts over the matter aside, one thing is certain – the money does not come from a political party.
Party logos must not appear on mock cheques at public functions, let alone at public schools – it is ethically wrong.
The money does not belong to the DAP. If it comes from the party coffers, that’s a different story. The party can even put up model rockets on stage, for all we care.
If the funds are from government allocations, this means it belongs to the public – including taxpayers who do not support DAP or Pakatan Harapan.
A distasteful precedent has been created and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming should not dismiss the matter by saying it’s a non-issue and that matters most is for schools to receive the funds.
The intention may have been noble but the execution was not well thought out, leading to bad optics.
The unity government has come to power with promises of changes and reforms. It actions must be exemplary to prove that this is a new Malaysia for all Malaysians.
It should not be a case of more of the same or worse, which create incidents that smack of arrogance of power with echoes of previous governments.
We expect higher standards from Pakatan Harapan leaders, which is a good thing for the government to live up to.
Several leaders from Barisan Nasional, which is part of the Unity Government, as well as from Perikatan Nasional have rightly questioned Nga on the use of DAP and Pakatan logos on mock cheques for donations issued to several schools in Ipoh, Perak.
These 17 Chinese primary and secondary schools in Perak were granted an allocation of RM1.8mil from the Education Ministry for repair and upgrading works.
Nga, who is also the Perak DAP chairman, handed over the mock cheques to the schools.
”No issue. What’s most important is that the schools receive the donation,” Nga told reporters after an event at the ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya following the controversy.
Malaysians do not want to see Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, for example, giving away state funds to schools in Kedah with the PAS logo on mock cheques.
If Amanah leaders don’t want to lose out, we could see them doing the same with Federal funds and employ the same theatrics with mock cheques carrying Amanah symbols.
There is nothing to stop Perikatan leaders from doing the same – and if they do, we hope they are smart enough not to imitate the DAP and respond nonchalantly that it’s a non-issue.
Nga has already won much goodwill from Chinese community leaders for his ability to secure such a large amount of money for Chinese schools.
He could have let Pakatan claim credit but he perhaps got too excited in wanting his party to be remembered for the effort in securing the funds.
A better answer from Nga should have been that he unintentionally overlooked the preparations for the event and thank critics for pointing it out, with assurances that it will not happen again.
That would have won him more praise for his ability to accept criticism and show readiness to improve.
To err is human. We all make mistakes and politicians are no different. Admitting to mistakes is not a sign of weakness but a sign of maturity. Admit it, learn from it – and don’t repeat it.
Not admitting to one is certainly a bigger mistake, but we hope that Nga moves on, takes the criticism sportingly and be more mindful from now on.
Our ministers can expect to come under intense scrutiny from their fellow unity government partners, their Perikatan opponents, social media as well as Malaysians from now on.
There is no need to feel insecure when criticised or be seen to lose one’s composure as the effects make for bad optics – and with social media, they can endure forever.
