Amalkan Sebelum Kamu Menyeru/
Practise before you Preach

Aliran is upset with MCA Youth chairman Chan Kong Choy’s puerile statement challenging “non-governmental organisations which have been critical of the government to make public their sources of income.” (The Star, 24 November 1998)

He was quoted as saying that “some NGOs were said to be receiving funds from foreign groups.” “Malaysians have a right to know,’’ he contends, “who these foreign backers and what their motives are.’’

Chan conveniently forgets that these very Malaysians also have a right to expect him to disclose the names of the NGOs who have received foreign funds and the identities of the foreign donors. He has no moral right to make irresponsible and unsubstantiated sweeping claims that “some NGOs were said to be receiving funds from foreign groups.”

Aliran challenges him to disclose details about his allegations failing which he should hang down his head in shame and never again broach this subject. We regret the nauseous tendency among petty politicians to pick up a dirty brush and tar everybody with one swipe - without a second thought as to ethics and morality - instead of being specific and forthright.

By law, registered societies are required to submit annual reports and statements of accounts to the Registrar of Societies within 30 days of holding their annual general meetings. The NGOs that fulfil the provisions of the Societies Act are being transparent and accountable. The fact that the Registrar of Societies has not found fault with any NGO over foreign funding confirms that Chan is flogging a dead horse.

Since Chan is projecting himself as a man very concerned about transparency and accountability, we call upon him to live up to the values he champions by disclosing to the public all the political contributions that the MCA has received. To paraphrase Chan, Malaysians have a right to know what the motives of these political contributors are.
 

P Ramakrishnan
President
26 November 1998