This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on November 23, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong denies that the party has RM2 billion in funds at its disposal to finance the operations of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TarUC).

Therefore, Wee said, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng should not politicise education matters by saying that MCA should cut ties with UTAR and TarUC before the government would consider higher allocations for them in the federal budget.

“We don’t have RM2 billion at our disposal, and he (Guan Eng) should see UTAR and TarUC as institutions that provide affordable education instead of education bodies owned by political rivals,” he told reporters at Parliament lobby yesterday.

“In fact, UTAR and TarUC have nurtured many of the leaders in DAP today. Moreover, federal budget is about allocation of taxpayers’ money, not his (Guan Eng’s) or his father’s money, and alumni from UTAR and TarUC are paying taxes as well,” he said.

On Wednesday, Wee had a heated argument with Guan Eng over this matter in Parliament during the latter’s winding-up speech for the Supply Bill of Budget 2019 Second Reading.

Under Budget 2019, Putrajaya allocated RM5.5 million of development expenditure to UTAR and TarUC, with zero operating expenditure.

After Guan Eng tabled Budget 2019 on Nov 2 this year, Wee said that UTAR and TarUC may have to increase their fees to meet operating expenditures.

Yesterday,Wee said UTAR and TarUC are still deliberating whether to increase their fees.