Anwar calls for tighter control of donations collected by charities

 The prime minister says charitable organisations must follow several strict procedures "because misconduct appears to be widespread".

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Registrar of Companies should ensure that reports submitted by NGOs are examined transparently.

PETALING JAYA:

 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for stricter regulations on how charitable bodies and NGOs spend their funds, in order to prevent misconduct and misappropriation.

He said there should be oversight of funds belonging to humanitarian bodies, welfare organisations, death benefit funds, trusts or foundations that collect donations.

“All NGOs must follow several strict procedures because misconduct appears to be widespread. People go to mosques and collect donations for Palestine, but the aid does not reach its destination. So how is this monitored?

“I will bring this matter up for discussion so everyone is held accountable,” Bernama reported him as saying at an teacher training institute event in Johor Bahru today. A student had asked if the student council could apply to the Prime Minister’s Department for contributions.

Anwar said there were organisation that collected donations legally and with the proper certificates, claiming the money is for Palestine.

“If they collect RM100 million but only spend RM20 million on Palestinians, they say the remaining RM80 million is for operational costs,” said Anwar.

In February, the secretary of a pro-Palestine NGO was detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on suspicion of misappropriating approximately RM4.2 million. - FMT