The government's announcement to allocate a total of RM12.3 billion for education expenditures is welcome news, but it is accompanied by fears of how it will be spent and in whose interests.

Although many people would obviously be happy with the allocation, PKR deputy-president Dr Syed Husin Ali said several concerns dogged the announcement.

He was responding to the announcement Thursday by premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that RM2.6 billion would be allocated in addition to the RM9.7 billion already allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The allocation is meant to narrow the rural-urban education gap by building and improving on educational infrastructure, information and communication technology facilities, and improve teaching programmes.

In a statement, Syed Husin said "it is not known yet when it will start being expended and over what period."

'Buy votes'

Secondly, he added, it remains to be seen whether narrow political considerations will override wider national economic interests in the awarding of tenders and contracts or whether the latter will be "thrown wide open only as the general elections draw near, in order to buy votes."

"From a distance, we can see quite clearly that the practice, which is opposed by Abdullah, is the continuation of the old practice of giving contracts to select Malays, either as political reward or to win political support," he said.

Syed Husin also said the 'leakages' that government leaders have referred to is actually no less than a "total destruction of the contract system" that requires more than mere "warnings and expressions of anger by a prime minister."

"This practice is tightly intertwined with the problem of corruption, which is becoming more serious now.

"A firm and effective action is needed to curb it. It requires big changes, which unfortunately cannot be undertaken by a PM and government deep in corruption," he added.