NKF's administration brought to public scrutiny

[35Cents]

haizz ... seems like the general public is still lure by those so call lucky draws..

why can't they just channel the cost of the lucky draw to those needy ... then more will benefits ... oops maybe someone will even get 14mths bonus .....

however , it is still very distrubing to ee that someone is getting 12mths bonus and is working in a place that is suppose to help .

how on earth someone deserve 12mths bonus .. anyone can help to calculate ? what contibution had made it to be 12mths ? maybe a HR personel can answer this ... ??

above are in my opinion only ...

most if not all the prizes from the lucky draw are given by corporate entities.... in this way they can get rebate off their taxes too... then NKF can used the marketing skills to make these items grow more "charity" money.... objectively it's a good thing.... but morally.... I disagree with their tactics. I had not been donating NKF for a few years now....since the day they told me I cannot "downgrade" my donation from $20/mnth to $10/mnth.... I simply terminate the donation once and for all.....

[sugi]

In 1998 2 poor chap tried to bring some news to public about Mr. Durai.

In the end they are sued for defaming and lost the case.

They make public apologies and paid damages cost and legal fees.

If i were them, i would try to get the case re-open since the truth is out.

Can they do that ?

I know nuts about legal.

Now Durai trying to fight with SPH,

How can he win ?

He better start packing for his resignation.

[acidjazz]

Actually this is a scandal, now tt its finally exposed. Everyone is more aware how they waste their moeny. A little insider info: their CREATIVE DIRECTOR get $13000 A MONTH. tell me about it. .

[XPeriment 626]

In 1998 2 poor chap tried to bring some news to public about Mr. Durai.

In the end they are sued for defaming and lost the case.

They make public apologies and paid damages cost and legal fees.

If i were them, i would try to get the case re-open since the truth is out.

Can they do that ?

I know nuts about legal.

Now Durai trying to fight with SPH,

How can he win ?

He better start packing for his resignation.

Yes, he threatened to sue people and they had to make apologies and pay money as settlements. But, now, in open court, all their remarks have been shown to be TRUE! NKF should make a public apology to these people and return the money taken... then again probably went into making more gold taps so they might have to ripout a tap or two and give to these people.

i've always been anti-NKF and people think I was just making noise over nothing. Well, now it's public.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...ndpost&p=367958

BTW write in and cancel your donation and CC your HR department/bank. If NKF doesn't stop the deductions, speak directly to your bank. They have to oblige you.

Unfortunately the result of this, even if SPH loses, is that Mr Durai will probably retire with his riches and leave NKF to die a slow death. Someone should force him to repay all the PUBLIC MONEY he has pocketed over the years.

[wil_lee76]

heard my friend saying that some centre have reef tank? is it true?

[zephyros]

juz put it this way, if u have someone close to u that are

depending on NKF, then u might not think this way ...

however ... i had never donate to NKF till date

i'll donate to other charity body instead

cheers

[Chris]

Without proper checks and balances....this is what happens. Public money becomes private money. When public aware and stop giving, the private already got the money and just pack and go. Eventually, the sufferers suffer more.

Dilemma.......give or no give. End of day, the millionaires are already millionaires and nothing can make them/him take out HIS money!

[Reefaholic]

$1.8million to be CEO and 12 months bonus too?? Dat's it, I will never give another cent to NKF...

All along i know something was fishy in NKF, they are too commercialise and just look at how much they spent on publicity.

Now, besides kidney, they also go for Cancer.

Then what SCF do? their contrubutions they recieve will be lesser. Besides what we donate may end up somewhere else.

I never donate anything to NKF. Better donate to RenCi or Singapore Cancer Foundation or other old folk homes.

[XPeriment 626]

heard my friend saying that some centre have reef tank? is it true?

see my post above... i attached link to the proof that they have FOUR REEF TANKS and THREE PLANTED TANKS

[Chris]

One dialysis machine cost around $35K.

His bonus for 1 year can provide 10 more machines for hundreds of users. Without bonus, his pay of $25K a month already puts him top 1-2% of income earners.

[Chris]

All these tanks and Plastma TV can be replaced with ordinary TV and pictures........equals to more dialysis machines.....equals to more lives saved!!

But does he bothers?

[Reefaholic]

No matter which charitable organisation one donates, there will be a certain portion that goes to admin charges. However, it is the heart of the CEO to appropriate what is necessary admin charges and what is extravagence. 12 months bonus for CEO and 6 for 1000 staff when the rest of the country people are getting an average of 1-2 is excessive. More so if their business is to help people.

I have vowed 3 years back not to watch any NKF shows and dial any call because:

1. Do not subscribe to the idea of using prizes to lure donors.

2. Paying TV station lots of $$ to buy time slot with donors money, though I know local artists are not paid.

3. Has not seen the CEO address the public in any manner. (At least the monk for Renci put in some effort and I bet he did not get 12 months bonus)

The TV station should also take the blame. Just ended 2 weeks of charity show and now the President star charity. But I may support this show cos they don't use cash and prize to tempt people to 'donor/gamble'.

3 years back, I cancelled my monthly $5 to NKF and changed to Com Chest.

Yes,

Like yourself, i NEVER watch any NKF shows, the more we watch and donate, they will always have this programme. Not to mention nowsaday so frequent.

[ozy]

Sort of makes you wonder just the ends justify the means...

I was very skeptical about donations to Tsunami victims too. I wonder how much actually went into helping the victims, given such a short time frame and such a magnitude of a disaster. It will probably take a logistic genius to handle.

[wil_lee76]

after reading the articles on newspaper...i feel like asking for refund of my donations....damn sickening....i dun mind donating to those who need the $$ but to donate the $$ to a CEO who get paid so high and my gosh...bloody bonus is 12 months...he can donated his bonus to those patients too!!!! what.....#$%^&*()_ im f$%^&*( Piss off now!!!

[wil_lee76]

happy that SPH brought up the news!!!

any ideas they advertise on SPH papers for the promotion of the NKF show?????

[ozy]

Not to mention the amount of pamphlets and thank you cards they printed which is probably totally unnecessary.

Anybody took count of the banners on the lamp posts on the road advertising the event?

[wil_lee76]

see my post above... i attached link to the proof that they have FOUR REEF TANKS and THREE PLANTED TANKS

bro saw it liao...so it true lah......haizz..... they can spend more $$$ on funding for patients.........im really sick and piss off man........

[wil_lee76]

sad sad place......if strike toto first place, might as well migrate..... far far away!!

some loacal charities are sad....toilets also can use $600+++ price tag lah.Can sit on econmy but fly in first class....

sin telcos also sick...must charge few cents when we call in to donate money on charity. claming admin and handling ...if can, they can absorb.

somemore charities have reserves. as for telcos profit is the keyword.

I think sooner or later i migrate.........haizzzzzzzz

[Nic a Jon]

on Biz times today

Business Times -12 Jul 2005

Veil on NKF chief's pay shows lack of transparency:

counsel

By WONG WEI KONG AND MICHELLE QUAH

(SINGAPORE) The reluctance of National Kidney Foundation (NKF) chief executive TT

Durai to disclose his salary - he is paid $25,000 a month and a bonus of as much as 12

months - reflects a lack of transparency in the way NKF is run, defence counsel argued

yesterday on the opening day of a defamation suit brought by NKF and Mr Durai against

Singapore Press Holdings.

And Mr Durai's first-class travel on other airlines, making use of his entitlement to travel

business class on Singapore Airlines, is an example of the misuse of public funds by NKF,

said Senior Counsel Davinder Singh of Drew & Napier, acting for SPH.

The lawsuit is over an article in The Straits Times on April 19, 2004, which talked about

pricey bathroom fittings in Mr Durai's office suite, including a glass-panel shower, an

expensive German toilet bowl and a gold-plated tap.

NKF and Mr Durai sued SPH and senior writer Susan Long on April 23, 2004, saying the

article was defamatory and had caused 'grave injury and damage'. They said the article could

be understood to mean that NKF and Mr Durai had misused funds collected from NKF

donors.

Cross-examining Mr Durai, Mr Singh said that how NKF conducted itself, managed its

finances and paid its staff had created controversy over the years. He said that despite public

pressure, NKF had refused to disclose the salaries of its senior executives. And for the

purpose of the court proceedings, it was only after several requests, with the defence having

to apply to the court, that Mr Durai finally disclosed his salary.

It was revealed that on top of his monthly salary of $25,000 he collected a 10-month bonus in

2002 and a 12-month bonus in both 2003 and 2004, or a total $1.8 million in the past three

years.

Mr Durai said he is a very private person and did not want his salary made public. It was not

a legal requirement. It would also be difficult for NKF to recruit people, especially from

abroad, if it made salaries public. Mr Singh countered that every cent NKF spends is a matter

of public interest. 'What takes precedence? The right of the public to know or your privacy?'

he said.

'Shouldn't the man who earns $1,000 a month, who takes $50 out of his pay thinking he is

saving lives, know the money you earn? It is nothing about privacy. It is about

embarrassment. If that man knew how much you earn, you would lose all moral authority.'

Mr Durai replied that it was at the discretion of the NKF board to disclose his pay.

During cross-examination, Mr Singh also suggested that Mr Durai had tried to conceal the

fact that he flew first class. NKF has said it does not keep records by class of travel.

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/sto...,162047,00.html? 12/07/2005

Story Print Friendly Page Page 2 of 2

A suit filed by NKF in 1998 against two persons who made comments about Mr Durai flying

first class saw both defendants apologising publicly and paying damages and legal costs,

which were later donated to the NKF. In 2004, NKF chairman Alvin Yong said: 'There is no

such thing as first-class travel.'

Yet, Mr Durai did fly first class, Mr Singh said.

Mr Durai admitted that he has used his entitlement for business class on SIA to fly first class

on other carriers. 'NKF pays for business class travel from Singapore. I can use the value of

the ticket to buy first-class tickets from elsewhere,' he said. 'I have used business class

entitlement to travel first class.'

Mr Singh suggested that Mr Durai did not want this to be known. 'If it is completedly

acceptable, if it is completedly above board, why not tell the public what you are doing?' Mr

Singh asked. Mr Durai replied that he was doing what was approved by the board.

'I believe what I did was right. NKF gave me the entitlement,' he said. 'I flew within my

entitlement.'

Mr Singh will continue his questioning of Mr Durai today. The ten-day trial is taking place in

the High Court before Justice Tan Lee Meng.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/sto...,162047,00.html? 12/07/2005

[Chris]

The good thing now is that at least people are aware of all these things....and it is their personal perogative where they want to place their charity dollar.

Argueing on entitlement and saying he is acountable to the board is absurd especially when it is public money he is using and lives he is supposed to save. Where is his moral obligation to the needy when he was sipping fine wine and caviar when on filght?

If this report had appear two weeks earlier, I wonder how the charity will fare.

[Reefaholic]

I think this Durai guy has took a wrong turn and risked his reputation.

Why he sued SPH, it is becos he thought that it can be resolved like the way it did by the previous 2 persons that he threatened and he succeeded in doing so. Little does he knows that SPH is not like any individual.

I think he just shot his own foot.

[hotlemond]

heard my friend saying that some centre have reef tank? is it true?

i think on tv shots saw the many reef tank beside the seatings for dialysis treatment.

maybe if you open the cabinet you will find a bubble king skimmer

[acidjazz]

This is so disturbing and disgusting.

[[PrinCesS (",)]]

This is ridiclous.. & whats worse is people who are donating faithfully are those middle working class people !

Unlike many charities which rely on large, one-off infusions from wealthy

foundations, NKF's bread and butter is the $3 to $5 monthly Giro donations from

about one million ordinary Singaporeans. With such a big base of small heartland

givers - its website says nearly two out of every three Singaporeans are donors

- the pennies add up.

-- i wonder where this 5 million every mth goes to..

[daimy068]

And to think that the ultimate losers/sufferers in this BIG fiasco would be the patients undergoing dialysis treatment due to Durai's flamboyance and mismanagement of funds which will inadvertently result in the number of people pulling out of their monthly contributions!!!

I think Mr Durai has some explaining to do!!!