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i'm not so happy abt the nkf saga anymore

by comrade commissar | Thomas | @ Saturday, July 16, 2005, 2:19:00 AM

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I know everyone's been expressing their views on the whole ongoing NKF saga. I probably won't be contributing much thoughts that you haven't read somewhere else before, but here goes.

Since way back, when I saw TV advertisements for NKF charity shows feature condos and cars as encouragement for people to call and donate, I have had my reservations about the organisation. I felt that as a charity organisation, their methods were closer to those used by for-profit corporations.

I feel that sometimes, because of the corrupting influence that money has, its good to remember that charity also means giving your time and other precious commodities. Think blood, kidneys, Pierre Png and his liver. So while I felt that while I could trust NKF to put 1 of my kidneys to good use if the situation calls for it (A human kidney would be hard to trade in Singapore anyways), their previous lack of transparency and accountablity meant that I didn't the same way about them handling my money.

I always expected that someday, the questionable methods that they use would have some sort of effect on them. Maybe people will get so used to expecting to have a chance at winning a car when they donate their $5 over the phone that they stop should these material incentives be withdrawn. What I didn't expect was how massive this affair would be.

To be truthful, I was mad with glee when I first read the 2-day old Straits Times headline news in camp, with a big picture of a dejected TT Durai smack right there in full colour. YES, finally, the big sinister organisation has been dealt a mortal wound! Justice prevails at last!~

Of course, more rational and stable sentiments have taken over since then. Now I look at the situation and I'm scared by the intensity of the implosion. While people may feel morally justified to pour out their rage, some through actions like stopping their monthly donations, the problem here is that this not only affects the organisation, but its beneficiaries too. NKF may be flawed, but it still does support patients. In the end, should it collapse, the ones who will suffer are these innocent people.

I'm fearful of the implications that this incident will have on the future, specifically in terms of the attitudes and mindset of Singaporean society as a whole. Many people who were previously generous and trusting now feel cheated and will be weary to donate to charity groups in the future, even if these are totally different from NKF. This goes in some way towards making us become a colder and more jaded people that will overgeneralise and dismiss future geniune cries for help.

I now wish that my previous negative sentiments about NKF remained merely as exaggerated suspicions and cynicism.

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I prefer to think this entire fiasco will lead not to collapse, but to reformation. When we revealed the NP Student Union's excessive cash reserves, it was never our intention to bring about their ruin - we only wanted them to be more accountable to the student body and to make better use of their assets. Hopefully similar results will occur with the NKF.

- Mel
- by comrade Anonymous @ times 9:47 PM, July 16, 2005 [delete? click on the dustbin.]

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