Tsunami funds renovated MBs' residence

In yesterday's near miss with another tsunami possibility, it's coincidental that the Good Olde Auditor-General (AG) has once again raised my blood pressure with his revelation that “aid agencies tasked to distribute fund for victims in the deadly 2004 tsunami have yet to return RM5.5 million in excess funds to the government’s coffer.”

Aiyo, it’s almost the end of 2007!

Beh Lih Yi’s article in malaysiakini titled A tsunami of excess funds not returned informed us that generous “Malaysians had donated over RM80 million to the National Disaster Relief Fund.”

But ... yes, as always in BolehLand, there’s big BUT whenever money gets into the hands of people who weren’t and still aren’t fit to handle public funds or public donations.

Apart from the money being released too late to people who needed it badly (in some cases, only 500 over days after they lost their possession in the tsunami) - I blogged on this in Tsunami Aid swept away by Invisible Tsunami? - there was disgraceful misuse, nay, criminal misuse of public donations.

Last year the AG revealed that the fund, involving an allocation of RM1.63 billion, was used for unrelated projects such as to renovate the official residence of menteris besar and buying equipment for private television station ntv7.

So you who donated, may I thank you on behalf of those menteris besar.

malaysiakini also reported the following:

The government promised that action would be taken on the report’s findings. There was also no mention on whether any action has been taken against those who abused a special fund channelled to several states to assist the poor, which was highlighted in last year's report.

My advice is the same one I made at the end of 2004, after the tsunami – please read Tsunami - Relief Funds - Donate Wisely!

Some people just can’t be trusted to handle money!