KUALA LUMPUR: Some 25 corporate bodies including an e-commerce-based conglomerate who are friends of the National Press Club Malaysia have extended their support to the club’s effort to raise funds for the Journalist Welfare Fund (JWF) to help journalists and their family members in need.
Organising chairman Datuk Mokhtar Hussain said NPC worked over the past few months to raise more than RM100,000 from private sector companies as well as state agencies and individuals which culminated in a charity dinner last night that featured a special performance by Malaysian rock artist Datuk Nash and legendary guitarist Man Kidal.
“Our funds since our last charity dinner in 2013 has shrunk, so we decided to have another fund-raising event to help with the journalists’ cause,” he said in his speech at the gala which was attended by about 400 guests including NPC president Datuk Ahirudin Attan and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Nurini Kassim.
Besides the QI Group of companies as the platinum sponsor, Mokhtar expresed his gratitude to Forest City, Sunway Group Bhd, UEM Group Bhd, Informa UBM Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Ambank Group, F&N Beverages Marketing Sdn Bhd, BIMB Holdings Bhd, Bank Rakyat, Public Bank, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, Sime Darby Plantations, Pos Malaysia Bhd, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Hong Leong Bank Bhd, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd, OSK Holdings Bhd, Constance Westwood Consultancy, Heineken Malaysia Bhd, Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd, Sirim Bhd, Nikon Malaysia and AirAsia.
Mokhtar, who is also Bernama Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Domestic News Service), said the idea to set up the fund was triggered by the death of Bernama TV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, who was killed by a stray bullet in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Sept 2, 2011. He was 39.
He said the donations from the fund were not only given to NPC members, but to all journalists and their family members who are in need.
Since JWF’s inception, more than 100 professional journalists have benefited from the fund. – Bernama
