KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian International Peace Fund will be used to help war-stricken Iraqis facing the invasion of the United States and its allies and after the war is over.
“It is public money and whatever is collected will not be abused,” said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also patron of the Peace Malaysia movement.
Besides channelling the money to war victims, the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) and the Red Crescent also plan to send a medical mission to offer medical assistance to those affected by the war, he told reporters after receiving RM250,000 from Berjaya Group chairman and CEO Tan Sri Vincent Tan for the fund yesterday.
Tan also personally contributed RM50,000 to the fund.
Hishammuddin said he was pleased that US-based company KFC Berhad had also pledged to contribute to the fund. The fried-chicken franchise company had pledged to give RM500,000.
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BOOST FOR FUND: Hishammuddin receiving the mock cheque from Tan while representatives of the Peace Malaysia movement look on. |
“It shows there is a humanitarian side in the private sector and that there are no political boundaries when it comes to helping people in need,” he said.
Hishammuddin welcomed more contributions from the private sector, adding that they need not be in the form of money.
The minister said Peace Malaysia would continue with its protests against the US-led invasions on Iraq, with tie-ups with various international non-governmental organisations.
JUST World representative Chandra Muzaffar said they had joined a worldwide “open letter” campaign to get United Nations secretary-general Koffi Annan and the UN Security Council to intervene in the war.
