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JE Fund: The MCA Shoots Itself In The Foot

THE MCA shows yet again how well it shoots itself in the foot. Especially, when misusing money. The deposit-taking co-operatives, the Chang Ming Thien education and Japanese Encephalitis humanitarian funds, the KSM co-operative, the Multipurpose Holdings. The list is endless. We do not hear of these, unless prodded loose. Until then, a near-impenetrable wall of silence shuts off debate and questions. That worked so long as the Chinese community accepted the MCA as its official representative in government. Its oligarchic leaders, confident of this, decided it knows best, and that should not be questioned. Like in UMNO and MIC, they are right. But the worms come out of the woodwork. Today, it runs helter-skelter to prove its undying loyalty for the Chinese community, but it is disbelieved.

The MCA mishandled the JE and CMT funds. It returned in interest nearly RM5 million that should have been scholarships for the needy. And the courts now force it to return the RM10 million CMT fund managed by its business arm, Multipurposes Holdings. No scholarships were every given. With no explanation why. The MCA leaders are its trustees, but they ignored the court case until after the CMT fund was ordered returned to the donor's estate. We now learn the MCA mishandled the JE Fund. It was meant for pig-farmers, but it went to others, including MCA officials. When the DAP highlighted it, the MCA President, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, threw a red herring about the DAP's own funds. If the DAP mismanaged its funds, the book should be thrown at it. Even if it had, how does this excuse the MCA's mishandling of its funds collected to ameliorate a human tragedy? The 200 acres the Negri Sembilan state government allotted as an alternative to the Bukit Pelanduk pig farms is converted and transferred to parties nothing to do with pig farms. The land alloted was within sight of KLIA, and therefore clearly unsuitable for pig farming. But no one talks about this now. Why did the MCA representative in the state executive council approve this, knowing full well it was not for the pig farmers. Was that a scam?

The Negri Sembilan state executive councillor, Dato' Dr Yeow Chai Thiam, who is MCA state assemblyman for Lukut, where the affected area, Bukit Pelanduk is, admitted in Port Dickson yesterday (2 November 00, The Sun, p8), he ordered his political aide and his family to take money from the JE fund for those who required. Why? Because MCA headquarters wanted details of those afflicted with JE, and he did not have the particulars. So, instead of him collecting the funds and distributing it himself, he gives the names of his political aide and two family members instead. The three cheques totalled RM82,000. There is no evidence, beyond his uncorroborated admission, that it was subsequently distributed to three JE patients. Criminal law has a section which deals with what Dr Yeow did: criminal breach of trust, with heavy penalties attached to it.

Dr Yeow is also politically naive beyond belief. When his political aide, who collected the money, wanted to distribute the money, he was told not to until after the Teluk Kemang by-election. This is curious. One would have thought the local state assemblyman distributing help would help the National Front in that by-election. He thought otherwise. This strengthens the rumour current then that the MCA had warned the Bukit Pelanduk pig farmers they would get their compensation would be paid as promised only if the National Front candidate was returned. But that is not what bothers here. It is that solatium funds are used to threaten and deny for a political purpose. Dr Yeow is angry. He was sure the DAP would bring this up once MCA headquarters released the list of aid recipients. So, he did what he did because the list would be secret. But if knew the DAP would question the whys and the whos and the hows of the fund, why did he do what he did? Besides, I recall, he had harsh words at the time for pig farmers who complained they were not given what they were told they would be.

So, the MCA not only mishandles the JE fund, but denies what is due the pig farmers. And is stroppy when questioned. This is not about to go away. The Chinese community is incensed. Dr Ling should come clean, giving his full account before, preferably in the Chinese Assembly Hall, in the presence of Chinese association representatives and the press. Since he is convinced his handling of the JE fund and of the CMT fund is above board, he should ask for this opportunity to clear his, and the MCA's, name. For what MCA did is inexcusable. No doubt Dr Ling has a perfectly laudable explanation for why the two funds were misused. If Dr Yeow is wrong, the MCA should order his resignation from the Negri Sembilan state executive council. Otherwise, another albatross would soon be around the MCA president's neck.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my