Dr Yee's remarks shallow, amusing and misleading

KOTA KINABALU, April 27, 2009: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Treasurer-general, Datuk Wong Yit Ming has lashed out at the State Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai for his recent remarks that "the Chinese community are now enjoying more benefits than before", describing it as shallow, amusing and misleading.

He was responding to Yee's statement on last Saturday that the Chinese State Cabinet members had done their best to fight for the interest of the Chinese community in Sabah, as reflected in the their current position which he claimed is better than before.

Yee, who is also the Deputy President for Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) had apparently said this in his rebuttal to LDP deputy president, Datuk Chin Su Phin's accusation earlier that the Chinese State Cabinet members dared not to champion the interest of the Chinese community in the state.

Yee, who is also the Api-Api state assemblyman had among others cited that the State government had in recent years given more allocations to Chinese schools, Chinese temples, churches and even sponsored the various Chinese cultural events like the Chinese New Year do in Gaya Street.

In a statement published in the local Chinese dailies yesterday, Wong said while he was not against such a good gesture by the State government, he nonetheless thought that Yee's citation of such deeds was shallow, and a gross lack of a good understanding of the real aspirations of the Chinese community, if not an insult to the community.

"What the Chinese community really wanted is a fair treatment (from the Government). Yee and his other Chinese colleagues in the State Cabinet should strive to better champion the rights and interest of the Chinese community that were provided for in the Federal constitution which includes fair education and economic opportunities, which is still far-fetch at the moment.

"His satisfaction with and commendation of the State government's allocations shows that he still has this pre "March 8" general election mentality, that the Chinese community could be easily satisfied with the dishing out of some goodies," he articulated.

He cited some of the glaring shortcomings like the overcrowded situation in many Chinese primary schools in the State Capital, where some of them had more than 50 students per classroom, which was not the case with most of the government schools.

Wong who is also the Chairman of the Association of Sabah National-Type Chinese Schools (Dong Lien Hui) also lamented that till to-date the State government has yet to reply to its application submitted in last November, requesting for the approval of a piece of state land in Luyang here that was reserved for the government school, which was left idle for many years, for the construction of a Chinese primary school.

He further noted none of the Government's RM95 million's plan to build seven new Chinese primary schools in the state as revealed by the MCA President cum Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, during his recent visit to Sabah had materialized.

"These are the important matters that our Chinese state cabinet members should lend their full support to," he stressed.

He nonetheless was glad to note that Yee had said that the State government had not declined the Dong Lien Hui's application.

Besides this, Wong also said there's still plenty of room for improvement when comes to allocation of scholarships and provision of economic opportunities to the Chinese community in the country, Sabah in particular.

He also fervently refuted Yee's criticism of SAPP President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee that the Chinese community in the state were not better off than now when the latter was the Chief Minister.

Wong pointed out that the decline in the Chinese representation in the present State Cabinet is self-explanatory, citing for example the previous position held by SAPP Women Chief cum Luyang State assemblywoman, Melanie Chia is currently left vacant still since she tendered her resignation following SAPP's pulling out from Barisan Nasional last September.