Taiwanese time and again have demonstrated their empathy with and concern for victims of disasters at home and abroad through generous financial donations.
The deadly explosions in Greater Kaohsiung on July 31 and Aug. 1 that killed 30 and injured more than 300 are no different: Offers of assistance and financial donations instantly poured in from all corners of the nation, with civic organizations and charity groups quickly mobilizing resources and members to help people affected by the disaster.
The Bank of Kaohsiung Municipal Treasury Department’s disaster relief account — number 102103031319 — set up by Greater Kaohsiung’s Social Affairs Bureau has received more than NT$3.04 billion (US$101.4 million) as of Wednesday, the city said.
However, while Taiwanese have reached out to affected people through charity work and donations, many have found the acts of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (ROC) rather disturbing.
Last week, a number of local television stations collaborated to host fundraising events where celebrities and athletes came together in two call-in TV fundraisers. In both cases, the television stations also teamed up with the Red Cross Society of the ROC, through which the money collected was to be forwarded to the account set up by Kaohsiung’s Social Affairs Bureau.
However, the move raised eyebrows, with many questioning the need to have the funds go through the Red Cross Society when people could easily donate directly to the account.
The public has valid cause for concern. The semi-governmental organization recently admitted that it deducts 2 to 15 percent of donations it collects for administrative expenses. In other words, the NT$100 that someone donates to the group for disaster relief could wind up being just NT$85 that reaches the needy.
Further, the organization has a poor track record of transferring public pledges to the intended recipients in a timely fashion.
After Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, the organization received NT$1.87 billion in donations by April 7 that year from Taiwanese for relief work in Japan. However, by mid-April 2011, it had disbursed just NT$450 million to Japan, saying it was to send donations in stages to disaster areas pending more information on the Japanese government’s post-disaster plans. The move upset many in Taiwan, with thousands taking their anger to Facebook, petitioning the organization to immediately transfer the full amount to its Japanese counterpart.
In May 2012, media outlets also reported that following the South Asian tsunami in 2004, the earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province in 2008, Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan in 2009 as well as the earthquake disaster in Japan in 2011, the organization received about NT$10 billion in pledges, but still had about NT$4.3 billion yet to disburse to the intended recipients.
Although the group later clarified its actions, they nevertheless left a negative image.
While its name may suggest a link with the International Committee of the Red Cross or the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Red Cross Society of the ROC has no relation to either, meaning its conduct and operations are not monitored by the two international organizations.
In fact, the Red Cross Society of the ROC is not required to publicize details of the donations it receives, nor does it need to abide by the Charity Donations Act (公益勸募條例).
Given this lack of transparency, the Red Cross Society Act of the Republic of China must be amended to make the collection and disbursement of donations — as well as how it manages its administrative fees — more transparent.
After all, every donation, big or small, comes with love from people in Taiwan. Every cent donated must rapidly be put to its intended use for post-disaster work and not be abused by an organization suspected of operating in a dubious manner.
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