Federation’s anti-pandemic fund aims for 10,000 supporters
KUCHING: Over 5,000 individuals have contributed more than RM220,000 towards the Sarawak Anti-Pandemic Support Fund initiated by the Federation of Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions.
Organising chairman for the fundraiser Kuek Eng Mao, who disclosed this yesterday, said they aimed at roping in at least 10,000 supporters for the two-month campaign which commenced early this month.
“Our initial target was to get at least 5,000 supporters and over two weeks into this campaign, we have hit the target. So now we have raised the target to 10,000 supporters.
“We will be collecting more funds from various supporters from Samarahan, Sebuyau and Serian areas from next week onwards. Every supporter counts and we appreciate all the support we have been given,” he told a news conference at the federation’s premises at City Square here.
With him was federation president Dato Richard Wee, who said they did not set a target amount for the campaign.
Wee said the federation aimed at raising as much as possible to complement the Sarawak government’s efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Once the campaign concludes, he said the federation will present a cheque along with a list of all the supporters to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
“Although the campaign is initiated by us, we hope all Sarawakians will come forward to contribute towards the good cause of helping the state fight this pandemic.
“This is the time for us to join hands and as far as the federation is concerned, we want to show that we can galvanise the support from the people in this fight against the pandemic,” he added.
Among those who contributed to the fund was Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCGCCI) which raised over RM42,000.
Its president Datuk Tan Jit Kee said they raised the amount within a week.
“Businessmen in Kuching have been hit by the pandemic but we still play our part to help the state fight this pandemic,” he pointed out.
Tan was glad to note that the Covid-19 vaccination rate in Sarawak was higher than the national average and believed that this would better protect Sarawakians against the virus.
With the vaccination programme going on well, he hoped that Sarawak will enter Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan soon and eventually Phase 4.
Our initial target was to get at least 5,000 supporters and over two weeks into this campaign, we have hit the target. So now we have raised the target to 10,000 supporters. Kuek Eng Mao
“Even though we are already at Phase 2, we must not be complacent and must continue to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP),” he said.
Adding to that, Wee reminded: “We cannot get rid of Covid-19, so we need to learn to live with it. This is the new normal that we need to embrace.”
Those who want to contribute to the fund can visit the federation’s Facebook page to scan the Sarawak Pay QR code.