MCA YOUTH said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's call for Universiti Malaya (UM) alumni to contribute to the UM Endowment Fund (UMEF) raises concerns and questions regarding the country’s financial health.
Its National Youth Political Education Committee and School of Political Studies chairman Chai Jie Yang said though the university was granted more autonomy under the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government to generate its financial resources, the government still provided financial assistance at that time.
"Has the government reached a level where it needs to turn to the public for donations to fund education?
"Where has the revenue from tax collections gone, especially when the government has implemented multiple new taxes to increase national income?" he asked.
He said the hike in the Sales and Service Tax (SST) rate from 6 per cent to 8 per cent, along with the expansion of its scope to include areas previously exempted from tax, such as the transport and logistics sectors, were also supposed to boost our nation’s coffers.
The government itself had assured that savings from the diesel subsidy rationalisation exercise would be redirected to the rakyat.
"It is disappointing that the government now recommends the UM alumni to contribute funds to UM’s development, whereas the previous BN government was still able to finance it, while only collecting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at a rate of 6 per cent.
"The Prime Minister’s announcement gives the impression that the government has washed its hands off UM, and the responsibility of funding UM has been shifted to ordinary citizens," said Chai.
It is hoped that the Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli and the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Adam Adli, formerly a student activist, will step forward to help in whatever way possible for the greater good of the people, he added. - December 19, 2024
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