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Key Highlights
As politicians maul each other, Tiger Beer clarifies role
‘I was given the boot for being outspoken’
Bersatu not feeling ‘sick’ over PAS-Umno ‘courtship’
As politicians maul each other, Tiger Beer clarifies role
Tiger Beer, which landed in the spotlight over its involvement in a fundraiser for Chinese schools, has denied making financial contributions to these educational institutions.
The issue has witnessed politicians from opposing camps and even those on the same team sinking their fangs into each other.
Tiger Beer, which is owned by Heineken Malaysia Bhd, clarified that its role in the Chinese Education Charity Concert (CECC) organised by a Chinese school in Sepang, Selangor was limited to presenting local performing artistes for the event.
To date, it said, over RM413 million has been raised by the local communities through the CECC platform,
Previously, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said that Tiger Beer had been running fundraisers for Chinese vernacular schools for three decades.
The Education Ministry’s guideline bars schools from receiving funds from companies involved in the production of tobacco and alcohol products.
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‘I was given the boot for being outspoken’
In an interview with Malaysiakini, former HRD Corp chief operating officer Ariff Farhan Doss claimed he had raised several issues within the firm before being given the boot.
Ariff said he raised concerns about expenditures and decisions regarding building purchases with at least three directors since 2022.
“I raised concerns about the manner in which expenditures were made, including decisions regarding building purchases,” he said.
He specifically opposed the purchase of a building for the company’s headquarters in Seberang Jaya, Penang.
“I was against it because the building is in a housing area. When I raised the concern with the directors, the matter was brought to the chief executive’s attention. He was unhappy.
“In the show-cause letter sent to me, among the reasons stated was because I was trying to influence the board of directors against the HRD Corp management,” he said.
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Bersatu not feeling ‘sick’ over PAS-Umno ‘courtship’
Contrary to Fahmi Fadzil’s statement, Bersatu claims it is not “worried sick” about the rumoured attempts to rekindle the relationship between its coalition partner PAS and its nemesis Umno.
For Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Fahmi’s statement purportedly revealed Pakatan Harapan’s desperation to create fissures in Perikatan Nasional.
“Bersatu is not worried about this because we are still with PAS in a registered coalition. Our focus now is to face the Nenggiri by-election, and we see that the cooperation between Bersatu and PAS has yielded good results at various levels since the 15th general election.
“They (Harapan) are afraid of PN’s strength that is gaining support from the people even though we are the (federal) opposition - who are under great pressure asserted by the government on various matters,” he added.
Previously, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied that there were official talks between the two parties.
He had also made it clear that Umno and PAS would not cooperate as long as Abdul Hadi Awang, whom he accused of peddling lies, was the latter’s president.
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Views that matter
| By P Gunasegaram |
 | By Kua Kia Soong |
 | By R Nadeswaran |
Other news that matter
Members of Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement have lodged reports with the Independent Police Conduct Commission against the police.
Khazanah Research Institute has recommended a build-then-sell system for housing development to protect buyers.
The US Justice Department (DOJ) has reached an agreement with the former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo to recover artwork by Pablo Picasso and a financial account in Switzerland traced to funds allegedly embezzled from 1MDB.
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