KOTA KINABALU: KTS Trading Sdn Bhd aims to raise RM450,000 through its Charity Car Wash Campaign, an initiative that seeks to benefit Chinese independent schools in Sabah and Sarawak.
The campaign was launched at the Foo Chow Association Building here yesterday and had offered coupons priced at RM30 each, an amount that will later be added on a two-to-one basis by KTS.
“For each coupon, KTS will add on the amount on a two-to-one basis up to RM900,000. On top of that, for the six out of the 23 Chinese independent schools located in the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, KTS is going to donate RM25,000 to each of the six schools,” KTS Plantation Management Sdn Bhd senior manager Diana Lau said.
“Therefore, funds to be raised from the car wash will be RM1.5 million,” she added.
About 2,100 coupons had already been sold (as of Friday morning).
“If we have a 50 per cent turnout, that would mean we would be washing at least 1,000 cars in two days,и she said in her speech.
The Charity Car Wash Campaign began for Sarawak on January 13 in Kuching and it went on to cover Sibu, Bintulu, before ending in Miri on February 3.. After Kota Kinabalu, KTS will be continuing the campaign in Sandakan and Tawau, Diana said.
“This event is organized to commemorate our 50 years of partnership between KTS Trading Sdn Bhd and Stihl, a well-known German power tool manufacturing group,” she said.
Diana also expressed her gratitude towards the Chinese community in Kota Kinabalu in its efforts to sustain the Chinese independent schools in the state.
In this regard, Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Seri Panglima Teo Chee Kang lauded KTS for the latter’s commitment in setting up charity programmes that sought to elevate the Chinese independent schools of the state.
He asserted that the independent Chinese schools in the state have come a long way, starting from small wooden blocks to now receiving huge allocations from the government.
In his speech, Teo thanked the state government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for their openness to help develop the Chinese independent schools.
Between 2004 and 2017, Chinese independent schools as well as government schools, missionary schools and Chinese kindergartens received RM399,990,199 in funding.
“I hope the Chinese community will unite and support the government. This is to ensure that the voice of the Chinese community will be represented in the government.
“The Chinese community will only get allocation and funding if there are Chinese representatives in the government,и Teo said in his speech read by Senator Datuk Yong Wui Chung.
Among those present were Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, chairman of United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Committees of Sabah, Datuk Yong Kyok Ming, Tshung Tsin headmaster Hiew Hoh Shin, KTS Sabah Head Office general manager Wong Kee Mee and KTS Trading Sdn Bhd Kota Kinabalu branch manager Wong Nyuk Thai.