Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen has slammed Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his deputy, George Chan Hong Nam, of not being honest and open on the issue of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

"They have played out Chinese educationists and education when they stated that the federal government will recognise the UEC which students from Chinese Middle Schools sit for," he said at a press conference today.

Chong Chieng Jen speaking to reporters in Kuching"They know that the government has no intention to recognise UEC, but yet they told the whole world otherwise," he said.

Chong (right), who is also the Bandar Kuching member of Parliament, recalled Taib as stating on Feb 16 that Prime Minister Najib Razak would announce recognition for the UEC, the next time he visited Sarawak.

"Chan reaffirmed the statement a week later.

"Sad to say, Najib did not announce the recognition when he visited Sarawak on March 5 and March 15. Again, he did not say anything on that when he was here in Kuching yesterday," Chong said.

"Where is the good news that Najib was supposed to announce?" Chong asked Taib and Chan.

He this showed that the leaders of BN were not sincere in wanting to solve the problems faced by the UEC graduates.

He said if the government had given its recognition, then UEC graduates would have equal opportunity to apply for government jobs or scholarships.

Thousands of students graduated with UEC each year from 60 Chinese Middle Schools in the country, including 40 in Sarawak.

Chong said he was puzzled at the failure to give the recognition considering that over 500 universities around the globe accept UEC graduates as their students, while Malaysian universities, which were not even among the top 200 in the Times University Rankings, did not.

He said many students, after passing their UEC, studied in foreign universities, including the institutions in Taiwan.

Among the students, he said was Phua Khein Sing, from Selangor, who invented the pendrive.

"He set up his own company, Phison Electronics Corporation in Taiwan, which has a market capitalisation of RM4 billion.

" Phua, at the age of only 37, is now a billionaire in Taiwan," Chong said.

Land for Chinese Schools

Chong also blasted the BN, especially the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) over its failure to fulfil a promise to set aside 2,000 acres for Chinese Schools in Kuching.

"After making the promise three months ago, nothing has come about," he said.

"And yet, from research with the Lands and Survey dept, thousands of hectares have been alienated to family members of Taib Mahmud.

Chong also said the BN deceived the people when carrying out development projects in Kuching.

He said the BN had already started putting up billboards to say that projects were carried out by them for the people.

An upset Chong had put up another signboard to say that the projects were funded by the people's money.

He said the people in Kuching paid their yearly assessment rates which the Kuching City South Council uses, to clear and widen clogged drains and provide street lightings among others..

"Certainly, it is not the BN that provides this money to clear and widen drains," he added.