The Chinese community and the country however are more concerned about the second agenda of the MCA politics of Liong Sik to stifle and strangle independent views and opinions in the Chinese community, especially over the issues of Chinese education and fair, just and progressive education system. Beginning on June 1, the two Chinese special aides appointed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to enable him to get direct feeback from the Chinese community to know their thinking and the issues affecting the Chinese in the country would report for duty. Damansara Chinese primary school and university admissions for SPM and STPM top-scorers added together. Liong Sik was not being very honest when he said yesterday that the MCA is not involved in the takeover of Nanyang Press Holdings except to offer political support. He claimed that it was a commercial deal handled by experts as the MCA supported it as it was a good buy .
Nothing can be further from the truth.
It is an open secret that Hong Leong, the parent of Hume which owns 72 per cent of the Nanyang Press Holdings, is forced to sell its stake in the two Chinese newspapers more for political rather than business reasons This was powerfully illustrated by the massive RM60 million special dividend payout by Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd of 103.27 per cent on Thursday in a move to return capital to its parent, leaving it as an empty shell on its acquisition by the MCA investment proxy. The forcible sale of Nanyang Press Holdings will have far-reaching repercussions on the investment climate of the country as it sends out the message of the corporate law of the jungle instead of good corporate governance prevailing in Malaysia, which can only frighten away what is left of interested investors, local or foreign. It does not reflect well on Liong Sik for him to justify the MCA take over of the Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press with DAP s Rocket and PAS Harakah, as even primary school children can see the difference - being politicial party organs, just like the defunct MCA organ, the Guardian. Liong Sik could not have used a worse example when he cited the Star as the model of a MCA-owned professional Chinese newspaper, claiming that the MCA was confident of its track record in the manner in which the Star was run whereby the party does not interfere. It would be a great tragedy if Nanyang Siang Pao and China Press degenerate into a pale version of the Chinese Star after a MCA takeover.