Chow Kon Yeow: 曹观友

Opposition MPs welcomed the RM30,000 allocation they received each to organise events in their respective constituencies for Merdeka.

Tanjung MP Chow Kon Yeow said yesterday opposition MPs were happy that for the first time this year, they were given allocations to celebrate Merdeka with their consti-tuents.

He said the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry should make it an annual affair for opposition MPs to receive allocations for Merdeka celebrations.

The ministry allocated RM30,000 for each parliamentary constituency this year, including constituencies under the Opposition, in conjunction with the nation’s 50th anniversary.

“We hope that this won’t be the first and the last time we are receiving such an allocation.

“I also hope that we won’t have to wait for another 50 years for such an allocation to come our way,” he said at a press conference at the state DAP headquarters in Penang.

Chow said Merdeka Day is an auspicious occasion for Malaysians and celebrations were held with the aim of promoting unity.

“Merdeka Day celebrations are non-political functions and there should be no element of dividing the people according to their political affiliation,” he said.

Chow’s constituency would hold a multi-cultural show themed Malaysiaku Gemilang at the Gat Lebuh Macallum’s basketball court from 7pm to 11pm on Aug 25.

Local performers will be presenting patriotic songs, poetry reading and dances.

DAP Penang is disturbed by news that the Beng Teik Main School in Lebuh Katz, Georgetown has been served a notice to quit by 30 April for its failure to pay rental for as long as 18 months.

I am shocked to learn that the State Education Department has failed to pay the monthly rental of the school premises to the landlord over the past 18 months.

If this is so, then the Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim is guilty of misleading Parliament into believing that the Education Ministry has been paying the monthly rental of RM1000.

Just six months ago, the Deputy Minister told Dewan Rakyat on 28 June 2005 that the Ministry was still paying the monthly rental even though there were only 13 students in the school.

Datuk Hon Choon Kim was responding to my adjournment speech in Parliament on the relocation of the Beng Teik Main School.

Now we are surprised to learn that contrary to Datuk Hon’s promise at the Dewan Rakyat, the landowner was not paid for the past 18 months.

Datuk Hon has told a serious lie in Parliament and he should be reprimanded for it.

The DAP Penang also want Datuk Hon to explain whether the Ministry had actually approved the permit for the school to be relocated to Bukit Mertajam.

Datuk Hon must come out clean in this matter lest Beng Teik Main School would face the same fate as Sin Chung School in Kepala Batas.

CHOW KON YEOW

DAP membidas Menteri Kesihatan kerana berlaku kes Syafiqah menanti bantuan perubatan sehingga nafas akhir.

DAP ingin menyuarakan kekesalan kerana berlakunya kes Syafiqah berumur 2 tahun yang menanti bantuan perubatan sehingga nafas akhirnya, sepertimana didedahkan oleh ibunya, Norhayati Omar di Utusan Malaysia.

Kelmarin DAP telahpun menyifatkan kegagalan Tabung Bantuan Perubatan mencapai matlamatnya sebagai satu kegagalan dalam sistem penyampaian Kementerian Kesihatan.

Pendedahan Puan Norhayati Omar bahawa hampir dua tahun keluarganya sia-sia kerana karenah birokrasi sehingga dipaksa merayu sumbangan kewangan orang ramai menerusi media bagi menyelamatkan nyawa Intan Syafiqah telah membuktikan wujudnya kelemahan dalam pengurusan tabung perubatan ini.

Masalah seperti itu selalu berlaku di Malaysia. Kita mendapati ramai rakyat Malaysia yang sakit kronik perlu meminta sumbangan awam melalui media sedangkan tabung yang mempunyai RM 100 juta tidak disalurkan kononnya kurang publisiti.

DAP tidak mahu dengar alasan Menteri Kesihatan tentang kegagalan menyampai bantuan perubatan ini.

DAP menuntut supaya Menteri menjalankan siasatan atas kes Syafiqah yang menanti bantuan perubatan selama dua tahun sehingga nafas akhir.

It was reported that 10 non-Muslim Cabinet Ministers have submitted a joint memorandum to appeal Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to review the Constitution and Islamic laws affecting non-Muslims religions rights.

The submission of memorandum by non- Muslim Cabinet Ministers is unusual and unprecedented. The Moorthy’s controversy and the public discussion on amendments to the Federal Constitution have put much pressure on component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

The DAP welcome the action taken by 10 non-Muslims Cabinet Ministers and hope that the Prime Minister would react positively to voices of non-Muslims in the country.

However we want to remind the 10 non-Muslims Ministers and their political parties that they have a constitutional duty to promote fundamental rights and liberties of Malaysians guaranteed by our Constitution.

They should not betray the mandate of the people because of short-term political gains.

It is not too late for them to reconsider their support the declaration that “Malaysia is an Islamic State”.

Their support for the declaration has encouraged the bureaucracy to push for greater Islamisation policies in the country, even to the extent of the silence rewriting of our Constitution.