my life, my rules.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

donation

the first issue i want to address is regarding the
people asking for donations at interchanges
and mrt stations.
when it first began, i used to give the
$2 donation they asked for daily.
especially at bedok, since i go there everyday
and also at bugis, since i used to work there
last time.

then, i read a report that certain organisations
actually paid for the services of these companies,
in the sense that they get commission for every
ticket they sell.
if you noticed, these people are very persistent
and very irritating.
some of my friends also complained about them,
especially those wearing tudung.
there were so many instances that when we politely
say no and walk away,
they'd preach about how we wear tudung, how we are muslims,
yet we don't care about the cause.
and some even got irritated that after several minutes
of trying to persuade us, and not managing to move us
with their words, they make a face or mumble in anger.

firstly, it's not that i dont donate.
i'm brought up in a family where i'm taught to help
whenever i can, that if we think we are poor,
there are other people poorer than us.
but i just don't believe in actually giving people money,
knowing that they are not 'ikhlas' in helping out,
that they are actually earning a commission from the donations
they collected.
and especially if they target us, people who are "confirmed"
muslims. wad kinda work ethic is that?
heck, it's even contradicting to have a 'job' as a donation
'collector'.

i still donate occasionally though.
but only when i am sure that the people collecting are not up to
monetary gains.
i'd rather go donate at the mosques when i go pray.
somehow, even though the school kids that do flag-selling
are forced to do that so that they'd earn CIP points,
at least they dont get the money that they help collect.

it's not even about religion here.
it's about simple ethics.

to think abt it, the root of the prob is that there is demand
for it.
no demand, no supply rite?
so why should these organisations employ these people?
since when is donation profitable to others other than
to the recognised causes?

i'm strongly against it.
it bothers me that everyday when i go out,
i have to face at least one of them.