Three days ago, the Education Minister, Tan Sri Musa Mohamad said more details were needed for the application for TAR College to be accorded university status to be considered.
He said:
"Among the information we require are the strength of lecturers, the number and types of courses taught, and the curriculum of the college."He said that once all the information is in, the ministry will start discussing the upgrading.
Musa's statement is most surprising as the information he mentioned should all be in the possession of the Education Ministry which is responsible for monitoring all educational institutions, including TAR.
The Education Ministry should not cause undue delay in approving the application of TAR to become an university, as it will expand local university educational opportunities as well as save on foreign exchange for the country.
Although TAR is a MCA institution, and everybody knows about its historic origin which was to destroy the proposed Merdeka University before the 1969 general election, the DAP is prepared to rise above party differences to support the upgrading of TAR to university status and I would call on Musa to ensure quick government approval for this MCA application.
I would hope that Liong Sik and the MCA Ministers and leaders could
similarly rise above petty partisan interests and be guided by the wishes
and aspirations of the Chinese community and the Malaysian nation - and
change the official MCA stand so as to support the retention and
reopening of the Damansara Chinese primary school as a community school
in addition to
the building of a new Chinese primary school in Tropicana, Petaling
in Selangor.
(15/3/2001)