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Sunday August 5, 2012

MCA suggests RM150 per year for children using schoolbus

By CHRISTINA TAN
newsdesk@thestar.com.my


YONG PENG: The MCA has proposed that transport allowance be provided to children who use schoolbuses.

Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said he hoped the Government would consider the proposal and include it in the Budget 2013.

“This is to help families reduce their burden amidst inflation as children who travel on schoolbuses are usually from lower-income families.

“We are suggesting RM150 per year per child. It is up to the Government to decide,” he said after opening the party's Johor Youth and Wanita wings' delegates meeting at SJK (C) Yong Peng here yesterday.

Dr Chua said that if a family had three schoolgoing children, it should receive RM450 a year.

All system go: Dr Chua visiting the Ayer Hitam general election operations room in Yong Peng, Johor. All system go: Dr Chua visiting the Ayer Hitam general election operations room in Yong Peng, Johor.

There were about five million school-going children in Malaysia currently, he said.

In his speech at the convention, Dr Chua said he hoped there would be a second payment of RM500 under the 1Malaysia people's aid (BR1M) to households with a monthly income of RM3,000 or less in the near future.

On the call by Chinese educationists for a Chinese independent school in Segamat, Dr Chua said the Government would study the proposal on a case-by-case basis.

He said there were factors to be looked into for approval of a new school, including student enrolment.

Dr Chua added that there was a Chinese independent school at Yong Peng which was about an hour's drive away and another in Ledang which about 45 minutes away.

The Yong Peng school has about 500 students while the one in Ledang has about 300, he added.

“As long as it is reasonable, we will support,” he said, adding that the MCA fully supported the building of a private school in Kuantan as Pahang did not have a Chinese independent school.

Dr Chua also called on all party members to stay united and work hard in ensuring Barisan Nasional's victory in the next general election.

He urged all to be humble, serve well and not to sabotage those picked as candidates for the polls but to instead give them full support to ensure victory.

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