________________
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
___________________

(Parliament, Saturday) :  Datuk Hon Choon Kim should be sacked as Deputy Education Minister for gross incompetence if he has take more than 10 weeks to discover that the so-called  two new  Chinese primary schools announced by the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein on Wednesday had been listed among the first round of  880 projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan made public in July.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had on July 18 announced the roll-out of 880 construction projects worth RM15 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Three days later, Hishammuddin announced that the Education Ministry had identified 54 new construction projects for this year as a sign that it was geared up and ready for the Ninth Malaysia Plan � involving nine new primary schools at a cost of RM82 million, 10 full boarding schools (RM400 million) and 35 secondary schools (RM353 million).  A further 220 projects involving the upgrading of schools and higher education institutions costing RM195 million have also been identified.

In yesterday�s press, Hon said that Hishammuddin�s announcement on the building of the two schools, SJKC Kulai (2) and SJKC Tun Tan Siew Sin, under the Ninth Malaysia Plan was not to �plug� the mistake by Deputy Education Noh Omar in Parliament in revealing  that no new Chinese primary schools would be built.

Hon said that the two schools had actually been included in the list of 880 projects which had earlier been announced by the Prime Minister in July.

If so, why did Hon take more than 10 weeks to discover this fact?  Clearly he did not know until two days ago that these two schools were included in the 880 projects announced in mid-July.

As there are only nine primary schools in the list of 880 projects which are to be rolled out for implementation this year, can Hon confirm that the 2007 Budget has provided for the building of these two primary schools?

Can he give a full list of these nine primary schools which are the first batch to be implemented under the Ninth Malaysia Plan � whether it includes new Tamil primary schools as claimed by MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu?

However, either Hon or Hishammuddin is telling a lie.  This is because Hishammuddin had said on Wednesday that Noh Omar cannot be blamed for his answer in Parliament as he had not earlier announced the building of the two Chinese primary schools.  If so, how could these two new primary schools be included in the list of 880 Ninth Malaysia Plan projects announced by the Prime Minister in July, as claimed by Hon?

(30/09/2006)