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Key data of 100 Singapore charities to be listed on MOH Website
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KPMG submits its report on NKF to the new NKF Board
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Responses to KPMG report on NKF
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Petition: National Kidney Foundation
Singapore Responsibility
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New Board and CEO for National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
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Police advisory on NKF suit
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New NKF Board appointed
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NKF - Investigations into allegations
Excerpt of letter by Ho Ching (Ms) to the Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 18 Jul 2005 |
"I
write in my personal capacity... |
"I am a long-time admirer of the National
Kidney Foundation... |
"I would like to recommend that the NKF
considers building and managing its reserves
as an endowment. It also needs a sufficient
buffer to weather a deep recession. Perhaps,
this was what it had been trying to do.
Perhaps the prolonged years of difficulties
during the Asian financial crisis of the
late 1990s and the earlier brink of the 1985
recession had spurred the frenetic pace of
fund-raising in recent years. But this
funding model needs to be properly modelled,
analysed and communicated. |
"To the NKF I would like to say, when you
complete your review and put together your
plans, do share them. I am sure many
Singaporeans and many others share a chord
of sympathy for your cause. |
"On the issue of CEO pay, I believe that
even charities ought to be managed
professionally. How else can we expect
high-quality and impactful services,
including specialist education and therapy
support, to those in need?... |
"True, there will be volunteers, much
admired and respected, with independent
means who can help charities without having
to take a single cent in salary. There are
also others, much loved and lauded, who for
religious reasons or perhaps in memory of a
parent, child or friend, would give selfless
service to others... |
"But we
should not then believe that all those
involved in charitable causes should in turn
be charitable cases themselves... |
"Whatever their faults and foibles, the
volunteers, staff and professionals in our
VWOs have collectively given hope to many
among us, and made this island a better
place. In turn, I hope Singaporeans and my
fellow men will join me too in supporting
them, and show them our generosity and
warmth of the human spirit. |
"Many drops an ocean make, and many hands
will lighten the load. On my part, I will
continue to donate to the NKF and other
favourite charities." |
|
Excerpt of
article, The taxman checks NKF's books, by
Sarah Ng in The Straits Times of 17 Jul 2005 (3) |
"The
taxman is looking at the National Kidney
Foundation's books over the weekend... |
"When contacted, Mr Gerard Ee, president of the
National Council of Social Service, and the
incoming interim chairman of NKF, said the
foundation informed him yesterday of the
presence of Iras officers at its premises. |
" 'I
understand that they are looking at their
records,' he said..." |
|
Interim Chairman
of NKF |
At the
invitation of the Minister for Health, Mr
Gerard Ee, President of the National Council
of Social Services (NCSS), has agreed to
serve as the interim Chairman for the
National Kidney Foundation. |
Mr Ee is a
well-known, respected figure, particularly
in charity work. Under his leadership at the
NCSS, there has been improved accountability
and transparency of VWOs through the launch
of the Code of Governance and Management for
VWOs in July 2003. He provided leadership
for strengthening the service through
setting up the Social Service Training
Institute (SSTI). Mr Ee is currently a
member at several other public boards and
councils, testifying to his public standing
(CV of Mr Ee attached). |
During this
period of transition, the Minister has also
asked the Commissioner of Charities to
assist in the process. |
Mr Gerard Ee's
CV |
Gerard Ee was
born in Singapore in 1949. He is married
with two children, a boy who is 12 and a
girl who is 10. In 1972 Gerard became a
member of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England & Wales. He served
full-time in the Singapore Armed Forces for
two and half years to discharge his national
service obligations. In 1974 he started his
career as an accountant. In 1976 he became a
practicing auditor and on 30 June 2005,
Gerard retired as a partner of the
International firm, Ernst & Young. |
Gerard has been
active in the field of social service
throughout his professional life as an
accountant. He helped convert a programme
from providing respite care into the Assisi
Home and Hospice in 1987 and was its
Chairman until 2002. In 1989 he established
Bizlink Centre, an employment programme for
the disabled, and was its Chairman until
1992. He has chaired a whole range of social
service organizations and programmes which
include juvenile rehabilitative centres,
grassroots organizations, schools, and
various programmes for the elderly and
youth. He was also an active member of the
Task Force which established the Code on
Religious Harmony. |
Apart from being
a member of the National Medical Ethics
Committee, he is the President of the
National Council of Social Service. As a
Justice of the Peace, Gerard visits the
prisons and conducts criminal procedure
mediation sessions. He is also a member of
the Governing Council of the Singapore
Institute of Management. |
Source:
www.moh.gov.sg Press Release 15 Jul 2005 |
---------------------- |
|
Vandalism At NKF Building, Kim Keat Road |
On 13 Jul 2005
at 5.20am , Police received a call from the
building manager of the National Kidney
Foundation (NKF) Headquarters located at No
81 Kim Keat Road. She reported that the
external perimeter walls facing Kim Keat
Road have been sprayed with writings. The
graffiti, which were in red spray paint,
were in English and Mandarin. |
The case has
been classified as vandalism and
investigations are ongoing. |
Members of the
public who have information on this case are
requested to contact the Police Hotline at
1800-2550000. |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
13
July 2005 @
8.30
pm |
Source:
www.spf.gov.sg Media Release 13 Jul 2005 |
---------------------- |
|
Excerpt of
article, Explain The Maths To Win Back Donors' Trust, by
Bertha Henson in The Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 (22) |
"...Judging by
the hundreds of e-mail messages, letters and phone calls
that have flooded The Straits Times since Monday, donors are
upset by the size of Mr Durai's salary and bonuses and his
travel perks... |
"What many
ordinary people know of the NKF are its heart-rending
fliers, the plaintive pleas by its telemarketers and
watching sick children on television. |
"They remember
digging into their pockets to give. |
"Now, they are
asking: Giving to whom? |
"What is clear
from the expressions of outrage is this message to the NKF:
Our generosity is for your patients. It is not a key
performance indicator to determine the amount of bonuses
your CEO deserves... |
"The NKF makes
it clear that it has done nothing to breach regulatory
rules. |
"That is
correct. |
"But what has
been breached is the public trust..." |
|
Excerpt of
article, Don't Tar All Charities With NKF Brush, by Chua Lee
Hoong in The Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 (22) |
"...In recent
years, as if on some manic quest to reach some unpublished
fund-raising goal, the NKF's fund-raising shows have
multiplied. But the number of kidney patients has not grown
by the same amount. |
"The Singapore
Government accumulates reserves for good reason: One
currency crisis and billions can be wiped out. But the
crises that a kidney dialysis voluntary welfare organisation
(VWO) may face do not eat up resources anywhere near that
scale. |
"Meanwhile,
other VWOs feel the pinch... |
"A lot of
cleaning up is needed at the NKF. For Singaporeans,
remember: Other charities still need your support." |
|
Excerpt of letter by Elaine Toh-Tan Yee
Lin (Ms) to the Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 |
"...I
was appalled because for a charity
organisation which ought to have prudent
management as its top priority so that
kidney patients receive as much financial
aid as possible from the public, it has
abused our trust and faith by its
extravagance and a misguided notion that
money raised in the name of charity could
therefore be used on gold-plated taps and
the luxury of flying First Class. |
"Aren't gold-plated taps for royalty? Aren't
First Class air travel a lifestyle statement
and a status symbol for the rich and famous? |
"I was utterly disgusted because the
generosity of our nation in times of
hardship and uncertainty has been exploited
to finance half a million dollars in
performance bonuses. |
"If,
indeed, the total donations were at an
all-time high, they were an indication of an
outpouring of sympathy in times of crisis, a
sign of solidarity in times of adversity. |
"And it saddens me to know that all the
tightening of purse strings, so that we
could give a few dollars more, was done so
that one man could benefit with his pay
effectively doubled. If that is not
exploitation of our kindness and generosity,
I don't know what it is... |
"There is no smoke without fire. And the
National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is not
going to put out the fire by suing anyone
who has reported the smoke or by appealing
to a conspiracy theory... |
"Am I going to
be sued now, NKF, for speaking my mind?" |
|
Excerpt of letter by Ng Hsueh Mei (Mdm) to
the Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 |
"...I
can think of no other situation in which
the English proverb, 'There is no smoke
without fire', can be more aptly applied. |
"For years, as rumours of inappropriate
management of public donations spread, the
public's trust and scepticism of NKF has
grown. One wonders how all the millions of
dollars collected during aggressive charity
drives are spent... |
"Kudos goes to senior correspondent Susan
Long for her journalistic integrity and
bravery, for discharging her duty to the
public by reporting on the controversies
surrounding NKF in April last year, despite
the risk of facing a lawsuit. |
"The image of NKF has been tarnished
irrevocably by Mr Durai. The best thing he
can do now is to resign." |
|
Excerpt of letter by Lim Lee Theng (Ms) to
the Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 |
"...I
am a teacher and I encourage my students
to help the less fortunate whenever they
can. And when the flag day for NKF comes
around, they know that their efforts will
go towards helping a lot of people. |
"Now that they are aware that such a large
portion of the donations they collect is
going or has gone into a $600,000 pay
package for the chief executive, how will
they ever believe the claims made by NKF
again?... |
|
Excerpt of letter by Lim Ching Zhu to the
Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 |
"I
cannot understand how the chief of a
charitable organisation can not feel
ashamed of himself when he said a $990 tap
is not expensive... |
"How can the chief of a charitable
organisation be flying First Class using
money for charity and still have the cheek
to say that it is his privilege? Where is
this man's conscience? |
"I also cannot understand how he could sue
people using the charity's name when he
indeed had a $990 tap, travelled in First
Class and received top CEO salary." |
|
Excerpt of letter by Steffen Toh Hai Chew
to the Forum Page of The
Straits Times of 14 Jul 2005 |
"...The
main principle behind NKF's ceaseless
efforts to raise more funds despite having
coffers overflowing with reserves of $189
million, it would have us believe, is that
every cent counts... |
"In fact, NKF has a donation programme
called Lifedrops, of which I am a
participant, that allows donors to pledge a
small monthly amount to its cause. The
latest revelations have left me feeling a
little like a fool. |
"How many "Lifedrops", may I ask, were
allowed to dribble away to fund Mr Durai's
12-month performance bonus in 2003? At the
minimum sum of $5 a month, one "Lifedrop"
amounts to $60 a year. Mr Durai's bonus, at
$25,000 for 12 months, comes up to $300,000.
This means that approximately 5,000
well-meaning contributors like myself have
done absolutely nothing to help kidney
patients with our donations. |
"Yet, the victims at the centre of all this
are not us, but the kidney patients. If
there is a backlash, and there surely will
be one, they will be the ones who will
suffer, NKF's reserves notwithstanding... |
"We may feel more than a little betrayed by
NKF, but let us not betray the kidney
patients. Two wrongs do not make a right." |
|
-
Responses to KPMG report on NKF
-
Petition: National Kidney Foundation
Singapore Responsibility
-
New Board and
CEO for National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
-
Police
advisory on NKF suit
|