PUTRAJAYA, Oct 10 — Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd and Maxis Bhd today made a joint contribution of RM5 million to the Sulawesi disaster relief fund, Tabung Bencana Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami Sulawesi.
Astro chairman Tun Zaki Azmi and Maxis chairman Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda presented a mock cheque for the amount to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at his office in Perdana Putra here.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the minister in charge of the fund; Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah were present.
Also present were National Disaster Management Agency of Malaysia (NADMA) director-general Datuk Mohtar Mohd Abd Rahman; Astro CEO-designate Henry Tan and Maxis CEO-interim Robert Nason.
Astro and Maxis said in a joint statement that their contribution to the fund was intended to aid the restoration of Sulawesi, especially for the rebuilding of schools and communities.
Zaki, when met after the function, said the contribution would go towards rebuilding schools and communities in Palu City as many schools have been damaged or destroyed.
Saying that he was saddened by the tragedy that has struck Palu and the devastation that has impacted its people, he expressed the hope that the fund will be used to rebuild schools and benefit the victims in the long term.
“We are hoping to use the money for building permanent structures such as schools instead of just giving cash. We have partners and they will help us to implement what we propose to do,” he said, adding that Astro will help seek more donations to help the victims.
Zaki said Astro will utilise TV, radio and digital airtime in a campaign to raise awareness to encourage Malaysians to assist Sulawesi as well.
Arshad said he hoped that the contribution would help ease the burden of the victims during this difficult time.
Members of the public who are interested to donate to the fund can visit www.maxis.com.my, www.hotlink.com.my or www.astro.com.my for more information on Tabung Bencana Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami Sulawesi. — Bernama
