Gerakan wants Kedah state govt to lower UUM's quit rent

Title: Gerakan wants Kedah state govt to lower UUM's quit rent

By: Dr Cheah Soon Hai

Designation: Kedah Gerakan Chairman and Derga State Assemblyman

 

 

Kedah Gerakan Chairman Dr Cheah Soon Hai today urged the Kedah State Government to lower UUM's quit rent to a more reasonable amount.  He said, even the coalition partner PKR has joined the fray of urging the PAS-led Pakatan Rakyat government to lower the quit rent because of its role as a centre of academic excellence in the state.

Dr Cheah Soon Hai also said that the state government should not try to evade responsibility by claiming that it was the Barisan Nasional government which set the quit rent amount.  The vice chancellor of UUM said, in 1990, the initial quit rent wans RM250,000, however, the Barisan Nastional state government gave a tax rebate of around 50% to UUM where the quit rent amount was lowered to between RM100,000 to RM150,000.  After PAS government took over the state in 2008 General election, the management of UUM was made to pay an exorbitant amount of RM1.7million quit rent, which is more than 10 times a leap from initial amount!

Dr Cheah Soon Hai who is also Derga State Assemblyman, added that the State government knows very well that matters related to land, water, forestry, local government and religion all come under the state jurisdiction.  However, fund allocation given to the public universities has nothing to do with state government. Therefore, how UUM manages the allocation from the Federal Government is none of Kedah State government's business.

Dr Cheah Soon Hai suggests that the Kedah state government to focus on it's role as the administrator of the state and put more effort on uplifting the living standard of Kedah residents where it has been failing miserably.