Phee flays news report criticising efforts for Christchurch victims
Penang state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, who is on a mission in New Zealand to assist the family members and survivors of the Christchurch terrorist attack, has refuted a news report claiming there is "not much assistance from Malaysian authorities there".
Phee said the report was "totally untrue" as Malaysian and New Zealand authorities have been most helpful to the Malaysian government representatives - especially himself and Bayan Lepas assemblyperson Azrul Mahathir Aziz - since the duo landed in Wellington en route to Christchurch with one of the victim's family...
Penang state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, who is on a mission in New Zealand to assist the family members and survivors of the Christchurch terrorist attack, has refuted a news report claiming there is "not much assistance from Malaysian authorities there".
Phee said the report was "totally untrue" as Malaysian and New Zealand authorities have been most helpful to the Malaysian government representatives - especially himself and Bayan Lepas assemblyperson Azrul Mahathir Aziz - since the duo landed in Wellington en route to Christchurch with one of the victims' family.
Phee said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has pledged to give NZ$3,000 (RM8,382) to each of the families of the victims who hail from Penang, Kedah and Kelantan who were injured during the shootings at two mosques that killed 50 people during Friday prayers last week.
So far, he said, donations of about NZ$7 million (RM19.56 million) have poured in for the affected families and efforts are underway to distribute the funds to them.
"During times of crisis like this, we need encouragement and positive suggestions. It is most unfair to the families to make them out to be the ones complaining about their treatment here in Christchurch," Phee told Malaysiakini over a telephone interview this morning.
"We have spoken to the three families here, and they told us none of them have said anything to the press," Phee (below) said.
"Since our departure from Penang last Saturday, our transit in Singapore and our arrival in Wellington, we have had a very smooth passage. We were given priority to exit the immigration (lane) without any fuss and were met upon arrival in Christchurch by Malaysian and New Zealand authorities.
"If this is not assistance, then what is?" he asked, upset with the allegations that the Malaysian authorities did not assist the victims much.
Phee was referring to a report in The Star yesterday which said: "Some Malaysian family members and survivors of the Christchurch terror attack are frustrated that there is not much assistance from Malaysian authorities there."
The report went on to say: "The Malaysians are unhappy that those who have relatives missing in the aftermath of the attack are being forced to do things on their own.
"Some also claimed that there has been no financial assistance so far from the Malaysian government, forcing them to set up their own fund called 'Christchurch Malaysian Relief Fund' to help the injured and their families."
Phee said since he arrived in Christchurch on Sunday, he had attended four meetings with Malaysian and New Zealand authorities to work out how to assist the families.
"During the meetings, we decided to get all the particulars of the victims and their families, including their bank account details so that we can channel the necessary funds to them," he said.
The meeting was attended also by the Foreign Ministry deputy secretary-general (Multilateral Affairs) Nadzirah Osman, who arrived in Christchurch on the evening of March 17.
Phee said Nadzirah (photo) met with the family members of Malaysian victims and conveyed to them Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah's message of "sympathy, support and prayers".
However, The Star reported that "some of the Malaysians who were present said that the meeting, held after three days of the incident, only seemed to be 'seeking what is needed'."
Phee said the victims and their families were well taken care of, even in the hospital where they were undergoing treatment, including surgery.
"There are about 10 Malaysian volunteers, including doctors, who came forward to care for the victims in the hospital.
"In the hospital where the victims were treated, their families were given special rooms so that they could stay close to their family members and be updated on their medical condition from time to time," he added.
Phee and Azrul Mahathir will return to Penang tomorrow.
The three victims, currently undergoing treatment in hospital, are Rahimi Ahmad, Mohd Tarmizi Shuib and Mohd Nazril Hisham Omar.
Relief fund to be discontinued
The Christchurch Malaysian Relief Fund, endorsed by the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington, has been set up for the affected families.
However, Dr Ahmad Sufian Ab Rahman, who earlier managed the fund, announced that the fund would be discontinued from today.
Ahmad Suffian said on his Facebook: "It is with deep disappointment that I would like to inform that due to opportunistic, unethical, malicious reporting and manipulation of local efforts to help the local Malaysians in Christchurch, I will, therefore, close this group and close the locally initiated bank account.
"Any contribution can and should be made through Federation of Islamic Association NZ (FIANZ) or Canterbury Muslim Community Trust (CMCT). Please visit respective pages for information.
"We will help our beloved local Malaysian families through other ways.
"My advice to Malaysian media and other social media, whoever is involved in jeopardising the effort of providing truth and transparent information, human endeavours to help fellow brothers and sisters here, Malaysians in NZ live with different values and ethics.
"We don’t sell ourselves cheap and we don’t create lies that worsen the grievance of the families."
In a statement today, Wisma Putra also denied the claims made in The Star's article and said the government is doing its best to help victims and their families, such as by providing financial assistance.
"The Foreign Affairs Ministry handed over personal contributions from Malaysians, including those based in Wellington, to each of the families yesterday evening," it said, adding that more financial contributions from multiple sources are expected this week.
It explained that the financial assistance from the government is subject to various financial procedures and regulations.
The ministry added that it had informed victims’ families about the assurance given by the New Zealand government that the victims will be covered by the local Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), as well as being eligible for relief funds under the Christchurch Muslim Crisis Group and the Christchurch Shooting Victims Fund.
"The ACC would cover medical requirements, including physiotherapy, compensation up to 80 percent of the loss of monthly income, and other assistance needed during the victims' recovery process," it said.
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