The health minister, Dato' Chua Jui Meng, is upset that many who pledged -- indeed nine out of 10 -- to donate to the 2001 Telekanser Campaign reneged on their promise. "I cannot comprehend how people can take such a cause so lightly and have fun out of it ... this is a serious matter in which lives can be saved," he said, and advised the public not to make prank calls. But in such hyped call for donations on television, people do pledge donations for no reason than to see their names amongst the donors. Telekanser's record is not unusual.

When you leave a toll-free number to pledge, in this divided nation of ours, amongst those calling to donate do so to disorient the government. So, his advise to the public to stay off prank calls is supercillious and self-serving. If only he had looked into how the 2001 Telekanser campaign was launched last month, he would probably know why public interest is not there.

The 2001 Telekanser campaign is a joint effort of the National Cancer Society (MAKNA), Malay Journalists Association (PWM) and Radio Talivisyen Malaysia (RTM) with help from Telekom Malaysia and Putra LRT. It was launched last month with much fanfare, with the King and Queen in attendance. The MAKNA president and former deputy minister, Dato' Farid Ariffin, gave a moving speech which touched those who heard it, how cancer is no respecter of persons, religion, belief, race, caste or creed, that a sick child with cancer is a sick child, to be treated with compassion and looked after for what he is. He spoke from the heart; he has a child fighting cancer.

Four representative cancer-stricken children, all Malays, allegedly selected at random, were brought out. It deflated the campaign immediately. How could the organisers be so insensitive? Many non-Malays in the audience whose children are afflicted with it. How do you think they would have reacted? Or does that not matter?

That is not all. PWM is alloted ten per cent of the collection. Why? Does it see itself as a cancer to society? It should explain. Why did MAKNA, an organisation which does superb work to help cancer patients, agree to it? Many in the audience knew of it, but kept quiet. When the four Malaysian -- read Malay -- children were brought out, the campaign was lost. Donors, many in the audience, were turned off by this insensitive display of racialism and greed.

So, Dato' Chua must refrain from shooting from his hip by accusing Malaysians of insensitivity. If organisers collect funds for other than what it is for, Dato' Chua cannot blame Malaysians for not opening their hearts and purses. We read of heart-rending children who cannot afford the tens of thousands of ringgit for life-saving operations in this caring society of ours, but the health minister ignores it. The official view is if the parents cannot afford treatment, the child had better die. That is how I see it. Then he has the cheek to tell us many who promised to donate did not. What has he done, as health minister, to ensure that all children, not just the cancer-stricken, get the best medical care they should be entitled to?

One is immured from the many causes for which donations are asked. One contributes as a matter of course. I send a cheque when I do, never cash. Go around Kuala Lumpur restaurants, and in many of them there are several donation boxes. The latest is for the Gujerat earthquake. I asked one restaurant who collects it. He told me it is the Indian High Commission. When I said it does not, indeed cannot, he changed his story: someone comes to collect it to hand it over to the mission. It surprises me that that collections for the Gujerat earthquake and other disasters continue without any checks and balances. The newspapers once used to have a cut-off date. Not, it seems, any more.

So, the public thinks there is a scam somewhere. It does not matter if it is for a anti-cancer campaign or a landslide in Ougadougou. Would the health minister now come out and tell us why he is so upset that only one-in-ten send in the funds pledged? How does those who do become pranksters? The cancer in our society is too far gone to be even in remission.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my

Source by: http://newskini.serveftp.net/mgg-pillai-view-1071.html, April 02,2001