Is it ethical to take money from Soros?

He is known to have made profits from countries in 'tight' situations. His philanthropy could well be a way of wiping away his guilt.

FMT LETTERS

From: Rehan Ahmad, via email

George Soros has been seen with a positive light lately. Apparently he has done a lot for many, and allegedly sponsored Bersih, and Malaysiakini. These acts of donations could be good news to many other civil societies that are cash strapped, though there are some questions about the reasons behind his support.

How does one obtain these funds and what is expected? There are many human rights activities in Malaysia that are apolitical. Many societies struggle to help the poor, to educate, to treat etc. Do they not deserve some sort of help? Did they get any help?

What does it take to get the attention of the Open Society Foundation operated by Soros? Or are these funds only valid for anti-government activities?

George Soros is not exactly viewed as a saint. In 2002 Soros was fined 2.2 Million euros by the French government for insider trading. He appealed to overturn the decision but was unsuccessful. In 2006 the French Court of Cassation upheld the earlier judgment and rejected his appeal.

In other words, Soros tried to make profit through illegal means.

In 1992, in an event known as “Black Wednesday”, Soros made money betting against the Bank of England. According to Forbes magazine, he gained an estimated US$1.5 billion. He is known to have made profits from countries in “tight” situations.

Basically Soros takes advantage of countries that are in bad financial conditions. He continued this method of making money up until his retirement in 2011. He damaged many countries in the process, and one of them is ours.

His act of philanthropy could very well be a way of wiping away his guilt. Would it be ethical to take money from someone who has done so much? Taking handouts from a person like Soros would be akin to naming drug lords as saints. If taking money from such a person can be justified, then we have to remember that taking money from anyone can be justified. Pablo Escobar perhaps?

Outwardly it is the same people who made and still make a lot of noise at the hint of corruption or misuse of funds. The question is what did they do with theirs?

Rehan Ahmad bin Jamaluddin Ahmad is an FMT reader.