Doing charity wisely

Yesterday my family brought a car load of items for the Tzu Chi recycle collection centre near our housing area. About 30 volunteers were there to assist in this long term project of the Buddhist-based Tzu Chi Foundation. My kids were having part of the community compassionate spirit too when they chip in for the Haiti earthquake relief fund.

Having involved in raising funds for various calamities in different parts of the world, I know it needs commitment and passion to be part of this relief efforts. While I am confident that the every sens and dollars that dropped into the Tzu Chi collection box will see their way to the intended receipients, we still need to be cautious when approach by various relief groups which sprang up after each calamities.

Transparencies and accountability are part of the principles that must be uphold by all who collected funds from the public in the name of humanity. There are those who channelled every sen that they collected to the victims but there are also those who will forward the balance after deducting all the necessary expenses. There are even those who used the public donation to pay high salaries to their so-called "expert" officials, maintain a luxurious lifestyles of these officials and have posh offices.

It is the last of these groups which makes people puked and avoided from donating to such organisations which incurred high expenditure due to exhorbitant pay checks for the so called officials who flies first class and stays in posh condominiums while those they intended to help are clinging on their lives due to lack of clean water, food and a roof over their head.

So for those who plans to do charity, do it wisely too. - Loka

As the clock ticks 1:30pm

The time was minutes before 1:30pm on 11 Dec 1993. It was a Saturday. People were having a good rest at their respective home sweet home after a week of hard work to pay off all the bills. Families were having a home cook lunch, kids were having fun with their parents, youngsters listening to the latest music and the some was playing some board games or tendering to their little balcony gardens.

It has been raining for for the past 10 days, so it was better choice to stay home.

The location was at the Highland Towers, Hulu Klang, District of Gombak, Selangor. The three apartment blocks 1, 2 and 3 were built on the hilly area which provides a picturesque view of the Kuala Lumpur city.

At about 1:30pm on that fateful day, Block 1 of Highland Towers collapsed. By the time the rescue operation was called off, 48 persons were already found dead.

There is no more laughter with joy. The whole area was swept with sadness and the cries of those who lost their love ones and belongings in a short moment when nature showed its might.

After 15 years the site holds memory only to those who mourn their loss until nature decides to teach mankind a lesson via the nearby Bukit Antarabangsa.

It was another weekend but the residents at Bukit Antarabangsa were sound asleep this time. A landslide that flattened 14 bungalows and claimed 4 lives so far is another lesson from mother nature.

But will mankind, human greed and the powers-that-be will ever learn to respect and fear the real power of nature? - Loka