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[#1](MCA denies knowledge of RM10 million donation[/#], Oct 23).

The report, a copy of which was obtained by malaysiakini 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

Total

The investigation team comprised members from the Bukit Pelandok Nipah Outbreak Committee, local leaders, pig farmers and also volunteers in the districts in Port Dickson 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 [#2](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.