MGG113

DANA JE: SONGLAPAN BIASA

(JE Fund: The Usual Corruption)

Oleh: Ng Boon Hooi

Pembantu MCA didapati menerima Dana JE

Antara beberapa penerima dana JE yang berjumlah RM16 juta dan yang dikelolakan oleh MCA didapati mereka yang bukan pun terbabit dalam ternakan khinzir ataupun yang pernah menjadi mangsa kepada wabak virus Nipah 1998/99 yang menghenyak penternak khinzir. Demikianlah lapuran yang dibuat oleh satu pasukan penyiasat.

Antara penerima dana itu termasuklah ahli keluarga dan saudara mara Konnashegran Perumal, pembantu politik kepada timbalan pengerusi MCA Negri Sembilan dan juga ahli exco Dr. Yeow Chai Thiam.

Jumlah yang mereka terima ialah RM82,000. Jawatankuasa penyiasat itu telah diketuai oleh Jawatankuasa Wabak Nipah Bukit Pelandok. Merfeka telah meneliti senarai penerima Dana JE MCA setelah tersiarnya laporan itu minggu yang lalu. (MCA telah menafikan terbabit dengan tabung sumbangan RM10 juta itu, Oct. 23).

Laporan itu juga menyatakan bahawa penerima yang bersaudara kepada Konnashegran itu bukannya penternak khinzir dan mereka juga tidak pernah penjadi pesakit Nipah Encephalitis. Ibu Konnashegran yang bernama Sakkuboy Ramakrishnan elah menerima dua peruntukan berasingan sebanyak RM25,000 dan RM7,000. Kesemuanya berjumlah RM32,000.

Istei Konnashegran yang bernama Rani Narayanasamy menerima RM25,000 dan adik iparnya Satiapama Batumalai menerima RM25,000.

Peruntukan kepada keluarga Konnashegran ialah:

Sakkuboy Ramakrishnan (ibu)	RM32,000
Rani Narayanasamy (isteri)	RM25,000
Satiapa Batumalai (ipar)	RM25,000
Jumlah:	RM82,000

Pasukan penyiasat itu dianggotai oleh ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Wabak Nipah, Bukit Pelandok, pemimpin tempatan, penternak khinzir dan sukarelawan daerah Port d##kson yang telah dihenyak wabak tersebut.

Ketua Kampung

Laporan itu mencatitkan nama saudara mara Ketua Kampung Bukit Pelandok yang bernama Teow Hong Chew yang telah menerima RM19,000 daripada dana itu. Anak lelakinya, Teow Kim Hoo, menerima RM5,000. Dua orang menantu perempuannya, Yau Chuan Lian dan Lee Lian Chan telah menerima RM7,000 setiap seorang. Mereka ini tidak pun menternak khinzir dan tidak juga pernah dijangkiti wabak Nipah Encephalitis.

Ketua Kampung itu ialah ketua bahagian MCA, Bukit Pelanduk. Laporan itu juga mencatatkan dua penama, Yong Bee Kiau dan Yong Bee kim mempunyai nombor kad pengenalan yang sama, 480330-05-5166 dan telah menerima sejumlah RM50,000. "Kami tidak faham bagaimana dua penama yang mempunyai nombor kad pengenalan yang sama menerima sejumlah RM50,000, demikian catatan laporan itu.

Ada juga catatan bagaimana Low Joon Koon, seorang janda kepada seorang penternak yang telah mati menerima sejumlah RM43,000. Ramai lagi janda (penternak yang mati) tidak pun menerima jumlah yang besar seperti yang diberikan kepada Low. "Low memang amat aktif berkempen untuk Dr. Yeow Chai Thiam (ahli exco Seremban), terutama sekali dalam pemilu yang lalu dan ketika diadakan pilihanraya kecil Teluk Kemang.

Pelajar Maktab

Mengikut laporan itu, seorang pelajar maktab dan ibunya See Saw Ngoh yang tidak ada kena mengena dengan ternakan khinzir dan wabak Nipah Encephalitis telah menerima RM25,000 dan RM7,000. See dilaporkan sebagai seorang sahabat karib Ketua kampung Bukit Pelandok.

Seorang ketua pasukan itu telah memberitahu Malaysiakini betapa jawatankuasanya akan mengeluarkan satu laporan yang lebih menyeluruh mengenai tuduhan berlakunya salah-urus dana itu. Pendedahan itu nanti akan merupakan bahan terbaru kepada mereka yang mengkritik pemberian dana yang penuh kontroversi.

Mengikut ahli jawatankuasa pusat MCA, Lim Si Cheng, sejumlah 4,426 telah menerima sebanyak RM15.851 juta yang telah diterima oleh dana itu. Lim yang merupakan timbalan speakar parlimen telah menyatakan bahawa baki sebanyak RM2.7 juta di dalam tabung itu akan digunakan untuk melatih dan memberi tunjuk ajar kepada penternak khinzir untuk mempelajari kemahiran lain seperti masak-memasak.

Namun demikian, Presiden Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Selangor telah menolak cadangan MCA untuk menggunakan wang yang berbaki itu untuk tujuan latihan. Mengikut Ngan, cadangan MCA itu merupakan satu pemesongan daripada tujuan asal penubuhan dana dan adalah sesuatu yang tidak jujur terhadap para penderma.

Derma Yang Telah Diberikan Kepada Kerajaan

Beberapa soalan telah dikemukakan mengenai sumbangan berjumlah RM10 juta daripada bank dan syarikat insuran kepada tabung itu. Dua minggu yang lalu setelah beberapa penternak khinzir mendesak penjelasan daripada MCA mengenai hal ini, mantan timbalan menteri kewangan Wong See Wah yang juga merupakan Pengerusi MCA di Negri Sembilan telah berkata bahawa RM10 juta itu tidak diambil kira dalam dana itu tetapi telah diserahkan kepada kerajaan pula (sila lihat pig Farmers query MCA over JE fund, Oct 20)

Wong mengaku pernah menerima chek bagi pihak kerajaan tetapi tidak ingat berapakah jumlah yang terbabit.

From Malaysiakini (Nov 2, 2000)

EXCLUSIVE!

MCA aides found to be beneficiaries of JE fund Ng Boon Hooi

12.15am, THURS: Several beneficiaries of the RM16 million MCA Japanese Encephalitis Humanitarian Fund included individuals who were neither victims of the Nipah virus outbreak in 1998/99 nor the affected pig-farmers, according to a report by a fact-finding team.

The fund recipients included close family members and relatives of Konnashegran Perumal, the political assistant to MCA Negeri Sembilan deputy chairman and exco member Dr Yeow Chai Thiam.

Altogether, they received RM82,000 from the fund, said the report. , The fact-finding committee, headed by the Bukit Pelandok Nipah Outbreak Committee, investigated into the list of recipients of the MCA JE fund after its report was released by the party last week (MCA denies knowledge of RM10 million donation, Oct 23).

The report, a copy of which was obtained by malaysiakini two days ago, said that the recipients linked to Konnashegran were neither Nipah Encephalitis patients nor pig farmers.

The report said that Konnashegran's mother, Sakkuboy Ramakrishnan, received two separate allotments of RM25,000 and RM7,000, amounting to RM32,000 in total.

His wife, Rani Narayarasamy, received RM25,000 and sister-in-law Satiapama Batumlai, RM25,000.

JE fund recipients

Konnashegran Perumal's family Allocation

Sakkuboy Ramakrishnan (mother)	RM32,000
Rani Narayarasamy (wife)	RM25,000
Satiapama Batumlai(sister-in-law)	RM25,000
Total	RM82,000

The investigation team comprised members from the Bukit Pelandok Nipah Outbreak Committee, local leaders, pig farmers and also volunteers in the districts in Port d##kson most affected by the outbreak.

Village headman

The report also said that relatives of Bukit Pelandok headman Teow Hong Chew had also received a total of RM19,000 from the fund.

The headman's son, Teow Kim Hoo, received RM5,000, while two daughters-in-law, Yau Chuan Lian and Lee Lian Chan, both received RM7,000 each.

They were allegedly not involved in the pig-rearing industry and none of them were Nipah Encephalitis patients.

The report noted that the village headman is an MCA branch leader in Bukit Pelanduk.

It also pointed out that two names, Yong Bee Kiau and Yong Bee Kim, which have the same identity card number, 480330-05-5166, received a total of RM50,000.

"We have no idea why (the) person(s) with the same NRIC number could get a total of RM50,000," the report noted in its remarks.

The report also stated that Low Joon Koon, a widow of a pig farmer who had passed away, had received a total amount of RM43,000.

It noted that many other victims, including their widows, did not get such a high sum of money as that given to Low.

"Low is very active in campaigning for (Seremban exco member) Dr Yeow Chai Thiam, especially in the last general elections and the Teluk Kemang by-election," the report added in its remarks.

College student

According to the report, a college student and her mother, See Sew Ngoh, both of whom are neither pig farmers nor Nipah Encephalitis patients, received RM25,000 and RM7,000 respectively.

The report said that See is allegedly a close friend of Teow, the headman of Bukit Pelandok.

A team leader told malaysiakini that his committee will release a more comprehensive report on the alleged mismanagement of the fund soon.

The revelations will add more fodder to those who had criticised the disbursement of the controversial fund.

According to MCA central committee member Lim Si Cheng, 4,426 people benefitted from the RM15.851 million collected for the fund.

Lim, who is also deputy parliamentary speaker, said a balance of the RM2.7 million from the fund will be used for training and to teach farmers new skills like cooking.

However, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall president Ngan Ching Wen said that MCA should not use the remaining amount of money for training programmes.

Ngan said that MCA's action is a gross diversion from the real purpose of the fund and is unfair to the donors.

Donation given to government

In addition, there were questions raised over a donation of RM10 million from banks and insurance companies to the fund.

Two weeks ago, after a number of pig farmers demanded an explanation from MCA regarding this, former deputy finance minister Wong See Wah, who is also Negeri Sembilan MCA chairman, said that the RM10 million was not credited to the JE fund but to the government instead (Pig farmers query MCA over JE fund, Oct 20).

Wong added that he had received the cheques on the government's behalf but he could not remember the amount of money involved.