Charity and suspicion mix like blood and water in China
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Almsgiving should be encouraged insofar as it serves its purpose to help the poor, and it must not be taken for granted. Refusal to give change to someone who asks for it is sometimes justified if the potential giver knows the bum has a rich uncle or susp
The same goes for disaster relief, in which embezzlement of relief funds is not unheard of. So, when in doubt, do not cough up money too readily.
And yet, China, the world’s second largest economy and, according to Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index, its 141st giver (of 153) in 2012, has accused Hong Kong of trying to politicise charity. This comes after some Hong Kongers expressed concern that their donations in the aftermath of the April 20 Lushan, or Ya'an, earthquakes in Sichuan might be misappropriated. According to the same index, Hong Kong ranked 19th last year.
Instead of calling on officials overseeing disaster relief to clean up their acts after allegations of misappropriation of relief funds in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the state mouthpiece the People’s Daily lashed out against those Hong Kongers on April 20. Targets included a local legislator, who asked for better oversight of donated funds. The publication labelled such calls an attempt to “politicise disaster relief”.
The article used a worn-out cliche to urge Hong Kongers to come to the aid of mainland brethen without delay. “Blood is thicker than water,” it said.
Hong Kong authorities then dutifully forked over US$13.5 million, without further ado, as if they had been under duress. But with perfect hindsight, it appears they looked more like the victim of a scam.
Just a few days after the People’s Daily tirades, a supervisory committee of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) on April 25 vowed to reopen an investigation that continues to plague the charity’s credibility as it seeks donations for victims of the earthquake.
The third-party watchdog committee, established last year, said that it will resume an investigation into the scandal by inviting public representatives to directly communicate with staff from the RCSC. The investigation will begin after the disaster relief work in Lushan is completed.
The RCSC’s plea for donations to aid victims of the quake received thousands of caustic replies from Web users. Apparently, these people have not been reminded that “blood is thicker than water”.
The so-called Sichuan schools corruption scandal was a series of allegations of corruption against officials involved in the construction of schools in regions affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. It gained momentum in June 2008, and the allegations culminated in protests from grieving parents of children who died in the quake as a result of the collapse of various schools.
The scandal eventually became a focal point of reporting on the rescue efforts, with Chinese civil engineers, bloggers, activists and foreign media bringing attention to the allegations. Various discussions and reports alleged that local officials and construction companies were negligent in the construction of schools, and that they ignored civil engineering standards, saved materials and took shortcuts while pocketing the difference.
But what is more ironic is that some other people appear not to know that “blood is thick than water” when they should. In an online report, the People’s Daily proudly said on May 2 that “one of this year’s most popular phrases may be “Chinese housewives” – as a major force which reportedly spent 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) over the past two weeks purchasing 300 tons of gold and thus helping to sustain gold prices at $1,468 an ounce.
One per cent of this mind-boggling sum would go a long way in helping the victims of the Sichuan earthquakes. One does not know how much these housewives have donated to the province’s disaster relief. Let’s hope their donations amount to much more than that.
