Kuala Lumpur: The Federal Territory MCA has slammed Wangsa Maju Umno division chief Shafie Abdullah for monopolising opportunities provided by the district education office to present the RM100 school aid to parents in all the Keramat district schools.

Federal Territory MCA education bureau chief Eddie Heng said Shafie's action did not respect the spirit of BN, and had created disunity in Wangsa Maju BN, affecting its chance to wrest back the parliamentary consituency in the next general election.

"Look at the Batu parliamentary constituency. The distribution there is done properly. Financial aid to parents in national schools is being presented by Umno representatives, while Gerakan representative Dominic Lau is presenting the aid to parents in Chinese and Tamil schools," Heng said in a statement today.

He said the Kuala Lumpur Education Department last month decided to invite Shafie and Wangsa Maju MCA division chief Yew Teong Lock as the BN representatives to present the RM100 cash handout to parents of the schools in the Keramat district.

However, Heng said, Keramat district education officer Tajudin Mohamad Mor, under the influence of Wangsa Maju Umno, early this year instructed all primary and secondary school headmasters to invite only Shafie to present the handout.

"During the gatherings, Wangsa Maju Umno representatives gave every school RM1,500 to prepare refreshments," he said.

MCA, not Umno, should contest seat

Heng stressed that Yew, who was the BN candidate for the Wangsa Maju seat in the last polls, has been serving the people of Wangsa Maju. Yew was Wangsa Maju MP from 2004 to 2008.

"He should represent the BN to contest the Wangsa Maju parliamentary seat. There are five Chinese primary schools in Wangsa Maju, at which the Chinese BN representative should have been allowed to present the RM100 aid to parents.

"But this was monopolised by Umno, through high-handed tactics," he added.

Malaysiakini has contacted Shafie's office over the allegation and one assistant said he will inform Shafie about it for the latter to respond.

Shafie, who is political secretary to Finance Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also prime minister and BN national chairperson, has been lobbying to contest Wangsa Maju after Yew lost to PKR candidate Wee Choo Keong (left) by a razor-thin majority of 150 votes in the 2008 general election.

Wee has since quit PKR to become a BN-friendly Independent MP.

PKR is tipped to field its disciplinary committee chairperson, Dr Tan Kee Kwong, for the seat in the 13th general election, which must be held by June this year.