MCA has urged the cabinet to order the Public Services Department (PSD) to drop the interview process for students vying for its scholarship, said party president Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Chua said that PSD should only consider examination results in processing applications for the 300 scholarships under the meritocracy category.

He said this proposal would be raised during the cabinet meeting tomorrow by the party’s four ministers.

“(The disbursement of the overseas scholarships) must be based on the results, even though the interview isn’t that good… (If a student) score all A+, he (or she) should get it,” he told a press conference after chairing the MCA presidential council meeting.

The MCA will meet the premier, while Youth head Wee Ka Siong has already met with the PSD director-general, to discuss the matter.

Chua brushed off Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz’s comments that Wee was trying to play “hero” in raising the issue.

“I am not teaching Nazri how to do (his) work. If Nazri, as a senior minister, doesn’t know the role of MCA, then it is rather unfortunate,” he said.

Capital FM acquisition

Chua also said he is unaware if MCA-owned Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd has acquired Capital FM radio station.

“This is very new to me, can you please tell me what Capital FM is?... MCA has not acquired anything,” he said.

According to a report by the The Edge , Star Publications is expanding its media empire with a RM15 million acquisition of a 80 percent stake in Capital FM .

Star Publications through its subsidiary Star Rfm Sdn Bhd already controls three radio stations - 98.8 , Red FM 104.9 and Suria FM .

To another question, Chua dismissed opposition claims that the government should stop subsidising independent power plants (IPPs) and Tenaga Nasional Bhd before slashing subsidies for fuel and sugar.

He said that this cannot be done because the government had signed deals with various power producers many years ago and this can only be renegotiated after the contracts lapse.

“As the government is tied to lots of agreements, the subsidies for IPPs cannot be immediately abolished, (just because) DAP says or Anwar (Ibrahim) says,” he said.

 

He said that the National Economic Action Committee had reviewed subsidies for IPPs three months ago and he is confident that subsidies will be reviewed soon.

No top student will be left behind, says Nazri