MCA spurns pig farmers request for JE fund details again
They did as they were told s Japanese Encephalitis Humanitarian Fund was rejected yet again.
The group first tried to obtain the list last Tuesday, led by DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock.
MCA leaders had objected to Kerks presence then, claiming that Kerk was only seeking publicity for himself. It was then decided that MCA should deal directly with the farmers.
Pig farmer Lai Kee Tee told malaysiakini that about 20 of them returned to MCA today without accompaniment of any opposition leader, yet their request for the list was again brushed aside.
The farmers arrived at 10.30am and proceeded to the MCA administrative office where they believed the list was kept.
However, they were asked by the security guard to stay at the lobby while waiting for an officer to talk to them.
The officer showed up about 10 minutes later and told the farmers that the list containing the information was not ready and asked them to leave.
Angered by the reply, the disgruntled farmers then held banners condemning the unprofessional manner in which the fund was handled.
Lai said they were disappointed with the MCA because the list has been delayed for a long time.
We just want to see the list to know if the fund has been abused, he said.
Suspicion
Suspicion arose when the farmers discovered that many deserving families who were affected by the Nipah outbreak (initially mistaken for JE) in 1999 have yet to receive any money.
The JE Humanitarian Fund is different from a separate fund by the government to compensate the farmers who had lost their pigs in a culling exercise two years ago.
The pig farmers alleged that there is discrepancy in the MCA-initiated fund which they estimated to have a balance of RM1.06 million as opposed to MCAs claim of RM584,935.
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