KOTA KINABALU: Chairman of the Mt. Kinabalu Earthquake Relief Fund, Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, has stated that the Fund is being utilized in a transparent, responsible and accountable manner, when responding to allegation by former DAP Sabah deputy chairman, Fred Fung Kong Win, who wrote to a local newspaper asking DAP to come clean on the amount raised from the public.
“The amount of donation collected so far stands at RM123,889.00. The committee has disbursed a total of RM101,780, to date,” Tan Sri Sipaun disclosed in a statement issued here.
“The Mountain Guides Association received a sum of RM10,000. The families of the four mountain guides who lost their lives on Mount Kinabalu when the 5.9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale struck Ranau on June 5, 2015 at about 7.15am, received RM10,000 each,” Tan Sri Sipaun said.
The earthquake was followed by many aftershocks which affected the homes and properties of many villagers living at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, such as Kg. Kiau in Kadamaian and Kg. Nabalu in Kiulu. In Ranau, there are reports of damages to hospital staff quarters, mosques, temples, churches and schools. So far, the SIB Church Pekan Ranau has received a donation amounting to RM5,000 for the repair of the ceiling of the church, Tan sri Sipaun said.
When heavy rain descended on the mountain, it brought down rocks, mud and logs clogging rivers and rendering the water pump and treatment plant to malfunction. There was a water crisis in Ranau that prompted NGOs, commercial firms, churches and concerned and caring citizens to despatch several trucks loaded with mineral water. Many villagers were traumatized by the tragic and unexpected incident and abandoned their damaged homes to find shelter with relatives. There was a food crisis, Tan Sri Sipaun said.
Tan Sri Simon added that in response to the emergency, the Mt. Kinabalu Earthquake Relief Fund disbursed RM5,000 to hire lorries with water tanks to distribute water from house to house in Ranau. We managed to provide water for about a week until the water supply was restored. We have also distributed 500 cartons of mineral water to St. Peter Claver’s Church in Ranau and another 230 cartons which were distributed by DAP Ranau.
In the case of Kota Belud and Kadamaian, a total of 1,270 cartons of mineral water and RM5,000 worth of food parcels were distributed through DAP Kota Belud. The first batch of 2,000 cartons of mineral water cost RM13,000.
Tan Sri Sipaun said, he has just approved another 2,000 cartons of mineral water worth RM13,780 and RM10,000 worth of food parcels for the affected communities in Kota Belud and Kadamaian.
Tan Sri Sipaun further stated that the committee will continue to raise funds to assist the needy in repairing and re-building their damaged homes following the earthquake. This will be the third phase of the operation which would include on the ground assessment to identify the type of assistance to be rendered.
The committee, to date, has not received any complaints from donors or members of the public on alleged misuse of funds. Tan Sri Sipaun takes the opportunity to thank all donors for their generosity during a time of real need.
He is also appreciative of the concern expressed by Fred Fung that the funds contributed by kind-hearted donors are utilized for the intended purpose.
“If Fred Fung has hard evidence to indicate any misuse of funds, he is welcome to get in touch with me or any member of the committee, if he has not done so already,” Tan Sri Sipaun said and suggested that Fred Fung should go to the ground to see for himself the real situation.