MCA has denied any knowledge of the RM10 million donation from banks and insurance companies purportedly for the Japanese Encephalitis Humanitarian Fund.

MCA central committee member Lim Si Cheng said today that MCA had not received the money and the RM10 mil is not part of the fund

"I deny any knowledge of the RM10 mil," he told reporters after meeting with DAP delegates who called at Wisma MCA, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur to clarify the accounts of the fund.

"All we have is the RM15 mil fund and that has been disbursed accordingly," he added, referring to the list of about 4,000 recipients which he had handed over to DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock.

Lim, who is also deputy parliamentary speaker, said that the balance of the RM2.7 mil from the fund will be used for training, to teach farmers new skills like cooking.

Lim said it is legal to use the fund for such purposes because training had been requested by pig farmers and their families from Bukit Pelanduk, the largest pig breeding area in the country, who had been most affected by the Nipah outbreak last year.

Last Friday, former deputy finance minister Wong See Wah, who is also Negeri Sembilan MCA chairman, clarified that the RM10 million from the banks and insurance companies was not donated to the MCA JE Humanitarian Fund but to the government.

He said that he had received the cheques on behalf of the government but he could not remember the amount of money involved.

He also said that the money is with the treasury and the present deputy finance minister Chan Kong Choy should know the details.

Criteria for disbursement of funds

Meanwhile, five DAP delegates, led by Kerk, who is also Kota Melaka MP attended a 40-minute meeting with MCA officials.

DAP demanded to have the list of recipients of the fund, including the criteria for disbursement of the fund.

Kerk alleged that the public were suspicious that "corruption, cronyism and nepotism" were at work during the disbursement of the funds.

He also said that there were allegations that 87 students from a kindergarten were promised RM500 by Lukut State Assemblyman Yeow Chai Thiam but until today, none of them had received any money.

According to Kerk, the students did not receive the money because they were classified by Yeow as DAP supporters.

Lim said that no money had been disbursed to any kindergartens from the fund although some tuition money had been donated by Yeow's friends.

Kerk said DAP is not satisfied because the criteria for disbursing the fund had not been disclosed, but accepted MCA's explanation for the time being.

MCA demonstration

About 30 MCA members held a demonstration at the lobby when DAP delegates left the meeting at about 1.30pm.

They held placards with messages "Where is our Bukit Cina fund?" and "Why did you raise so little funds for the Nipah virus victims?". The demonstration was over in about five minutes.

Kerk clarified that DAP held a fund-raising dinner in Negeri Sembilan for the Nipah victims. The party had issued RM400 each to 43 families.

He welcomed MCA members to check the accounts and to visit the recipients of the fund.

"There will not be a demonstration held against MCA members if they are to visit the recipients," he added.