KUCHING: Stephen Wong Kie Yong, who was recently sacked by SUPP, yesterday demanded SUPP treasurer Datuk David Teng to provide details on the proposed Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) Sarawak campus.
In a media statement here yesterday, Wong asked for the proposed site of the university campus, whether the Higher Education Ministry had given the green light and when the construction of the campus would commence.
He claimed that people in Sarikei and Bintangor would be happy rather than worried if more information could be offered.
“Once bitten, twice shy. After the Rahman University incident pledged many years ago which did not happen, people of Sarikei and Bintangor do not deserve another big disappointment.
“Many people there have conveyed to me their wishes that Teng should tell everyone about the details of the project. They also said that they were sick of lies.”
Wong further pointed out that the process of applying for setting up a university campus would be far more complicated than any development project.
First and foremost, the applicant had to obtain a licence from the Ministry of Higher Education, he said, adding that one of the criteria was having an actual site for the campus, and not a temporary address for application purposes.
“On top of that, they need to have a deposit of RM15 million as well as a full report on the construction work of the proposed university campus.”
He felt that it would do well to SUPP if Teng revealed vital information on the proposed campus particularly to prevent the opposition from capitalising on the issue.
“Only when Teng is open about every piece of information on the project could we be assured that it would not be made an election issue against the Barisan Nasional candidate in Sarikei.”
On Sunday, Teng, who represented SJT-Uni (M) Sdn Bhd to sign a memorandum of understanding with various boards of management for Chinese independent schools in Kuching and Samarahan, said the party top leadership was paving the way for the Sarawak campus to materialise.
To more questions, he said: “We do not set a time frame for it, but are hoping that the process can be done within a couple of months.”