BALIK PULAU – The decision to rename the Balik Pulau Polytechnic (PBU) to Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir Polytechnic (PTHST) is “lame” as there are bigger issues at hand, said Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.
Bakhtiar, who is Balik Pulau MP, said the ministry’s action is seen as inappropriate when the focus should be on student welfare, especially when the pandemic remains unabated.
He added that he has no intentions to deny the services and recognition former Penang governor Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir deserves.
“The Higher Education Ministry should focus on student welfare rather than try to change the name of the institution.
“The costs involved in changing its name should be used on the purchase of learning materials for students, including laptops that never arrived,” he told The Vibes.
Yesterday, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mansor Othman announced that PBU will be renamed to PTHST, to rebrand the polytechnic as “a digital technology champion in TVET education”.
Mansor said on his Facebook, the proposal was raised during his working visit to BPU on August 16 last year.
Bakhtiar added that local opinion and sensitivity should be taken into account before renaming PBU.
“It should be done in an orderly and respectful manner. This polytechnic is located in Balik Pulau, let it follow the name of the place.”
Meanwhile, former Pulau Betong assemblyman Datuk Muhamad Farid Saad disputed the need to change the name of the polytechnic after it had been operating for 14 years.
As one of the leaders who helped develop PBU in Balik Pulau, Farid said he is upset with the name change that was made without discussion with stakeholders.
“The polytechnic has existed for 14 years, why change the name now. Is Balik Pulau not good enough? Very insulting?”
Farid said the proposed construction of the PBU was undertaken by Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahaya in 2006, who was the then Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary.
The effort was then continued even though Penang was governed by Pakatan Harapan in 2008, with the intention of making Balik Pulau an education hub.
“Many issues occurred during the development of the polytechnic, such as land theft cases. We are the ones who helped solve it by making a police report.
“As an outsider, he (Mansor) is unworthy to give a name to a project that was built on the backs of the Balik Pulau people.”
PBU, which was established on February 1, 2007, offers diploma courses in information technology. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
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