More than USD1 million collected in support of Disaster Relief for Padang

27 Oct 2009

The CIMB-The Star Padang Relief Fund, launched on 2 October, 2009 has to date collected more than RM3.8 million.

“We had leveraged on our entire Southeast Asian branch network as well as our client network to facilitate this effort. I am pleased to announce that today, we surpassed the USD1 million mark, with the fund currently standing at RM3,815,787,” said Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, Group Chief Executive, CIMB Group, in a ceremony to announce the closing of the CIMB-The Star Padang Relief Fund, witnessed by His Excellency Tan Sri Da’i Bachtiar, Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia.

“The Supervisory Committee of the Fund has agreed to apportion the fund with approximately 10% towards current relief efforts, while the remaining monies will be applied to the rebuilding of schools in Padang and Padang Pariaman. We will also work closely with our colleagues in CIMB Niaga, the Indonesian government and non-government organisations on the ground to ensure that the public’s donations will be used in the most effective manner to benefit those affected by the earthquake,” Nazir added.

At the event today, three more corporate organisations demonstrated their generosity in the form of donations to the fund. Puan Noorizah Abd Hamid, Managing Director of PLUS Expressway Berhad and Encik Yusop Rashid, Head of Corporate Affair, Malakoff Corporation Berhad handed over a RM50,000 cheque each from their respective organisations. Meanwhile, Dato’ Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia handed over AirAsia’s contribution of RM250,000 in kind (in the form of free seats and cargo space) to the fund. Their contributions were handed over to the Fund’s representative, Datin Sri Azlina Aziz (spouse of Dato’ Sri Nazir) and witnessed by Nazir.

Also at the ceremony today, Datin Linda Ngiam, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Star Publications handed over a cheque of RM350,000 to Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, President of Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy Malaysia), witnessed by Nazir and Azlina.

The contribution to Mercy Malaysia is to further facilitate their relief work in areas where the local health facilities had been destroyed by the earthquake. Mercy Malaysia conducts their emergency medical operations through mobile clinics despatched to affected areas, and these additional funds will enable Mercy Malaysia’s mobile clinics to be operational for an additional three months pending the reconstruction of local clinics and other health facilities.

The CIMB-The Star Padang Relief Fund was launched on Friday 2 October, 2009. CIMB Group made an initial donation of RM100,000 to the Fund. In addition, CIMB Foundation has pledged to match all donations Ringgit-for-Ringgit up to a total of RM1 million.

The collection of donations is a regional effort among all CIMB Group’s 1,150 retail banking branches throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.