Entrepreneur Development Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has come under fire from opposition parties for his recent statement that two new Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) would be built in Terengganu if Barisan Nasional (BN) wins the state in the next general election.

Media reports o­n March 21 had quoted him as saying that two new MRSM would be built in Kemaman and Dungun if BN regained the state, which it lost to PAS in the 1999 general election. He was speaking after a ministry function in Dungun.

These would replace the MRSM Yayasan Terengganu colleges in Besut and Dungun which were closed last month o­n his ministry's instructions. MRSM colleges are administered by Majlis Rakyat Amanah (Mara), which comes under the ministry's jurisdiction.

'Bad faith'

Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad, PAS MP for Kuala Terengganu, said Nazri has underestimated the wisdom of the people of Terengganu in choosing the state government.

"It is sad that BN is turning this into a political issue. MRSM is for the benefit of the people. It doesn't matter whether the state is ruled by PAS, DAP, Keadilan or BN. MRSM is established to help the bumiputeras, especially the children of poor families. Nazri's statement was o­ne of bad faith," he said.

Syed Azman pointed out that the state government stood ready to co-operate with the federal government o­n the MRSM issue for the sake of students.

"To claim that it is very hard to carry out the project without BN control of the state is totally unfounded. The PAS state government will certainly allocate land for such a purpose (to build the colleges) and ensure smooth implementation (of the projects)," he said.

'Dirty tactics'

Taking a dig at Nazri, Keadilan supreme council member Dr A Xavier Jayakumar likened his statement to a threat.

"This shows irresponsibility and exposes the sordid state of the BN government, which uses dirty tactics to deny the people of Terengganu their right of access to public amenities and education for their children," Xavier said when contacted.

He also said the people in Terengganu and Kelantan should pay o­nly half their taxes if BN wanted to be "so unprofessional" in their actions.

"When such dirty tactics are used, it denies the Malays in Terengganu and Kelantan their rights, compared to states that are BN-ruled. This means the Malays in these two states have lost their special rights as stated in the Federal Constitution even though they are still paying the same amount in taxes," he explained.

He suggested that the PAS-led Kelantan and Terengganu governments set up its own inland revenue department to directly collect taxes to fund social-economic development and education. This, he noted, would help them avoid begging the federal government for funds.

DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief Nga Kor Ming said the BN government should learn "to respect the people's mandate and their freedom to vote for a government of their choice".

"This is a political extortion by a BN leader with a feudalistic and third world mentality," he told malaysiakini .

"The government is o­nly a guardian of the public wealth. The allocations given out come from taxes collected from the people; hence, the government should cater to the people's needs," he said.

'No political pressure'

In his winding-up speech in Parliament on March 25, Nazri had reiterated that the closure of the MRSM in Besut and Dungun was not due to any political pressure, but was carried out as a "matter of principle". The closure led to the transfer of over 600 students to other MRSM branch campuses.

The MRSM issue was hotly debated during a Dewan Rakyat sitting last year. Opposition MPs - especially PAS - had claimed that the closure was politically motivated and meant to punish the people in Terengganu for voting for PAS.

A bone of contention between the state and federal governments is the alleged refusal of the state to allow Terengganu students to be relocated in MRSM colleges situated elsewhere in the country.

The ministry has insisted that the state government must reduce the intake quota for Terengganu-born students from 80 percent to 40 percent. PAS, however, said the intake quota was decided in a 1993 agreement between Yayasan Terengganu and Mara.