No coercion, only patriotic zeal

I REFER to the letter “Make sure it’s voluntary” ( The Star, June 18). The writer, Born Again Malaysian, must have been recently resurrected because he/she seems to be confused about the people’s willingness to donate to Tabung Harapan.

The writer implies that there might have been some form of coercion in making donations to the fund. There is no truth whatever to this imputation as we have not heard or read about any arm-twisting to compel Malaysians to donate. If the writer has evidence contrary to this, it should be made public.

For the information of the writer, Malaysians in their thousands have voluntarily and spontaneously come forward in their patriotic zeal to contribute.

The response was so remarkable that within the first 24 hours, RM7mil had been donated to Tabung Harapan. Even children undertook to wash cars in Taman Yarl, Jalan Klang Lama to raise money for this fund ( pic).

In another example of patriotism, we saw 12-year-old Ervin Devadasan handing over his entire savings, which he collected for more than eights years and kept in a piggy bank, to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.

Recently, Sabah’s Servay Hypermarket donated RM1mil and encouraged Sabahans to donate too.

In praising Malaysians for being very generous, Datuk Seri Lai Kock Poh, chairman of Servay Hypermarket, said, “We have had so many generous donors as seen from the updated amount in Tabung Harapan and this is an indication that Malaysians truly care for the country.”

On June 25, less than a month after it was launched, the fund breached the RM100mil mark!

There are numerous examples of Malaysians expressing their loyalty to the country by contributing to this fund. But instead of praising this effort, Born Again Malaysian seemingly attempts to create an impression that there could have been some form of coercion.

Can those who have been hurt or offended please speak up? The truth must be told otherwise they will be seen as casting a wet blanket over this sincere effort to help the country

A MALAYSIAN ALWAYS Penang