If you think education is expensive, try ignorance – Bok’s Law, a spin-off of Murphy’s. 

“What would you like Normie?”

Norm Peterson: “A reason to live. Give me another beer.”

As the wise- cracking, multi-chinned character in the 1980s American situation- comedy Cheers, Norman Peterson had few peers when it came to beer. 

One man’s beer is, alas, another man’s fear. And in the case of the Islamic Party of Malaysia, or Pas in Malay, it’s more like downright revulsion. Talk of a gale over ale. Now, even fund-raising for a Chinese school has become an issue!  

OK, it has to be conceded that it wasn’t presented in the best light. PAS got hot and bothered over a picture of a deputy minister accepting a RM3 million mock cheque displaying a beer logo at a fund-raising event for a Chinese school.  

So it wasn’t Time for a Tiger. But a donation is a donation. And education is an expensive business. That’s why there are sayings like “never look a gift horse in the mouth.” 

Vernacular schools in Malaysia – Mandarin and Tamil language schools – aren’t wholly funded by the government but receive grants that match the money they raise by themselves. 

In addition, there are, at least, 82 “independent” Chinese secondary schools that must raise funds wholly by themselves. 

That they have done so, since independence in 1957, is a testament to the importance the Chinese community places on education. 

Nor are these schools short on basic infrastructure. Indeed, many of them are cleaner and better equipped than their government counterparts. 

Which is why Chinese vernacular schools have developed a reputation for scholastic excellence, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. It’s also why almost 20% of its present-day students aren’t Chinese. 

All these presupposes a pipeline of serious funding that isn’t allowed to run dry. And all donations are welcome, apparently. 

Over 10 years ago, I did a story about one such pipeline that assembled guilds and some of the country’s biggest tycoons. The money it raised would go into a trust that would flow in perpetuity towards vernacular education. 

I was invited to the dinner to celebrate its successful launch. The guests included some of the biggest magnates in the country including people from the gaming and entertainment industry. 

And why not? Education is increasingly getting expensive. The Islamic Party should note that 15% of national sports – from facilities and coaches to athletes and training – is funded by betting company Sports Toto, a legacy from its deal with the government after it was privatised in 1984.

Will Pas, or anyone else, make a song and dance about that?  It’s for a good cause and it’s not that different from a church where all donations are gratefully accepted without question. In fact, there is a Hebrew proverb that goes “a rich man has no need of character.” 

All this questioning over a brewery’s donation is a waste of time, a fuss over nothing, and a tempest in a tankard. It’s like Norman wandering into Cheers and being confronted by the bartender’s question. 

Woody: Can I pour you a beer Mr Peterson?

Norm: A little early isn’t it, Woody?

Woody: “For a beer?”  

Norm: “No, for stupid questions.” 

ENDS