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Some more info about the impact of the tsunami on Kota Kuala Muda

9 deaths
1042 houses damaged
685 houses very badly damaged
80 houses completely destroyed
309 fishing boats badly damaged
> 600 motorcycles badly damaged
173 cars damaged
860 school children affected

All victims are now placed in a temporary shelter, mostly schools. They will have to move out from the temporary shelters by 16 January 2005. Even though there are 1042 damaged houses, the government is only building 150 temporary replacement houses in the form of rumah panjang. And the compensation that they get, if they get any, is miniscule compared to the costs of rebuilding their lives.

The big questions are:
1. where will the other 942 house-owners go to on 16 January 2005?
2. How will the families support the 860 children who need to go to school?

If we just look at the housing needs, apparently Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) will build Rumah Mesra Rakyat (whatever that means) for the victims. Victims will have to pay a maximum of RM33,334 to purchase the houses under an interest free loan arrangement. Some houses will be cheaper.

The tsunami fund organised by the NST & co raised a total of Rm24.51 million. That is just one fund and only up to today. There are several other funds too and the collections are on-going. They are bound to raise more money.

The builders can draw from this one fund and immediately they can build more than 700 houses without the need to force the victims to pay any money at all. Money collected by other parties can then be used for other purposes, or to build more houses. This is perhaps too simplistic but at least the rough idea is there. Let us see if what happens is anywhere near this idealised situation.

Filed under: Misc

The Tories have announced that they have secured 75% of their general election war-chest. Jonathan Marland, the Tories’ chief fund-raiser, told the Financial Times today that they now had either received or been promised £17 million out of the £25 million that they want to raise.

Labour said that they are confident their party coffers will swell by the next election, expected in five months time.

The main British political parties generally have a well-devised strategy to raise funds. They know how much need to be raised, and they plan well ahead on how and where to get the money from.

I wonder if the same are being done by Malaysian political parties? Perhaps the ruling coalition does not need to think too hard as they have the government’s machinery they can (ab)use. But what about the oppositions?

The oppositions need to get their acts together. No longer can they depend on collections from ceramahs. They must plan how to raise sufficient funds and the strategy needs to take into consideration why people or organizations or companies should donate to those parties. For example, the Tories have devised a policy that is more business-friendly (according to them) and they are selling this policy to the City. Marland claimed that the City responded positively and this is one of the reasons he is confident he will raise enough money for the general election.

Perhaps the oppositions should start thinking about appointing fund-raisers to work full-time for the parties. I did consider suggesting that the opposition parties’ own treasury should do fundraising. But knowing that party treasurers in most of the opposition parties were not appointed due to their ability to manage party finances, I see no use of making that suggestion.

Filed under: Misc

For the past few days I have been going all out to create an alternative but formal channel so that some funds can be sent to Malaysia. It is working well. We are now officially working with Muslim Aid and parts of the funds will be sent to Malaysia, as well as to other parts of the world, via this channel.

Several have suggested that we use the official, “government-backed” channels for the funding. My answer is a straight-forward NO. I don’t even have to think twice about this. Why? See below for one small insight. The article is just one small glimpse of the corruption and malpractices taking place when the so-called “official” channels are used. If any of you have the opportunity to speak to those on the ground, you will realize that the abuses taking place are much more rampant and widespread than what was described in the article below.
This is also why I would rather spend days “creating” an “alternative” channel rather than just using the “official” channels. I do not want my money and the money entrusted to me by others to be abused by these rats.

”Isi borang Umno kalau nak lampin”
Tuesday, January 04 @ 16:31:18 MYT Oleh Mohd Sabri Said

SUNGAI PETANI, 4 Jan (Hrkh) – “Isi borang Umno kalau nak lampin”, demikian luahan salah seorang mangsa Tsunami apabila menceritakan ketidakadilan yang dilakukan dalam pembahagian barang keperluan kepada mereka baru-baru ini. Pembahagian bahan keperluan di penempatan sementara mangsa Tsunami di Sekolah Rendah Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah didakwa oleh para mangsa tidak profesional kerana berlaku banyak pilih kasih.

Ramai mangsa mengadu Puteri dan Pemuda Umno mengambil kesempatan menekan golongan yang dikategorikan pembangkang atau tidak sebulu dengan mereka walaupun daripada golongan Umno sendiri.

Bahan keperluan seperti tilam, minuman, roti dan sebagainya sukar diperolehi sebaliknya menjadi ‘stok’ di bilik gerakan mereka yang disumbangkan oleh orang ramai sebelum ini.
Tinjauan Harkahdaily ke penempatan tersebut semalam mendapati ramai mangsa meluahkan perasaan tidak puas hati terhadap pengagihan yang dibuat.

Ada yang merasakan, mangsa tsunami bagaikan pemimta sedekah bila inginkan air mineral, tilam untuk anak kecil atau orang tua yang tidur beralaskan tikar.

Pemuda dan Puteri Umno acapkali mengatakan bekalan sudah habis bila mangsa cuba memohon bantuan mendapatkan apa-apa keperluan. Malahan, ada juga Puteri dan Pemuda Umno main politik dengan menyuruh sesiapa yang mahukan barang keperluan perlu mengisi borang parti mereka terlebih dahulu.

Perkara ini didedahkan oleh Pak Cik Abdullah Haji Ahmad dari Kampung Kepala Jalan. Beliau disuruh mengisi borang Umno jika mahukan lampin pakai buang untuk cucunya. Sekarang ini katanya, bukan masa untuk mengambil kesempatan mengaut sokongan sebaliknya masa untuk membantu atas rasa perikemanusiaan. “Pak Cik hairan fasal apa depa buat macam itu. Nak ambil lampin pakai buang pun mereka cuba main politik, ” ceritanya kesal.

Selain dari penempatan sementara, keadaan yang sama juga berlaku di Pejabat Penghulu di pekan Kota Kuala Muda. Di mana banyak kotak berisi air mineral dan roti bertimbun di situ tanpa diagihkan kepada semua mangsa dengan sempurna. Menurut salah seorang mangsa yang mahu dikenali sebagai Man berkata, tidak ada gunanya semua bahan keperluan makanan berhimpun di situ sedangkan mangsa berada dalam kelaparan terutamanya kanak-kanak.

“Ada kalanya kami terpaksa membeli sendiri makanan dan air kerana pembahagian tidak sempurna. Mujurlah ada wang RM500.00 yang disumbangkan oleh kerajaan baru-baru ini jika tidak di mana kami nak dapatkan duit, ” ujarnya yang kehilangan rumah dan harta benda. – mks

Filed under: Misc

I received several emails asking about where the funds I collect will be sent. My reply is, currently, it will be sent to Malaysians working in the affected areas. I say Malaysians working in affected areas because the people receiving the donation does not focus solely in Malaysia. They work wherever they are needed if it is possible for them to go there.

From the works I have been doing in the United Kingdom thus far, I am fortunate to have contacts with people in the Foreign Office as well as a few who are working in charitable organizations. I am trying to lobby them to allocate funds to Malaysia. I have not received definite positives yet. International aid agencies are focusing their efforts to countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The countries with the most number of deaths are receiving the most help, at least in the immediate term.

I was saying to myself, if countries other than Malaysia are the ones that need the most help, then surely I should help to raise funds for them (ie: not for Malaysia). Malaysia was not too badly affected. The death tolls were only less than 70. Why give money to a country that was not too badly hit? However, one friend who works in a London-based charitable organization told me that it is wiser for me to focus on Malaysia. He argued that since a country like Malaysia is not receiving so much international help (I am not saying there is none. Just less), Malaysians should group together to do whatever they can to help their own country.

If people from countries who were not so badly affected refuse to help their own country, AND at the same time very little international aid is coming into that country because the impact was not too severe, then these so called “less severely affected countries” will be worse off in the long run. Everyone is focusing on the worse affected countries, while those that were not so badly affected will be left to their own aid. At the end, the governments of those countries will have to cover the cost of everything, and ultimately, it is the citizenry who will be affected.

Thus, this colleague, who has more than 15 years experience working in relief efforts, refused my offer to help him collect money for the general fund. He bluntly told me “Go help people in your own country first. We already raised £25 million last night for the general fund, none of which will go to your country, but a large chunk will go to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Who will help your country if you do not do it?”

I suppose that makes sense. By focusing my efforts to helping those in my own country, I am not neglecting the fact that others have been worse hit. I am merely ensuring that the miniscule effort I am putting in is targeted to bring benefits to an area “un-noticed” by the international community due to the relatively small number of deaths – Kuala Muda in Kedah. After all, this particular area has not even been mentioned by any British media. They are truly un-noticed.

I must also admit that it hurts to make such a decision especially when you see so much suffering in BBC News 24. But I keep reminding myself that just because Kuala Muda is not covered by the British media does not mean people there are not suffering. They were simply forgotten in the midst of such a massive destruction.

I am also comforted by the fact that parts of the fund will also be disbursed to places outside Malaysia. The allocations will be decided by the people on the ground. We should let the decisions be made by those who really know the situation. And a decision has been made that some funds should go to Acheh in the form of a temporary hospital with seven doctors. (When I phoned them earlier today, we were discussing the possibilities of getting more doctors there). If they see a need for more works outside Kuala Muda, I am sure they will transfer the funds as and when necessary.

Filed under: Misc