Kota Kinabalu: Organisers of the Sandakan Turf Club’s annual Chinese New Year charity event have appealed to elderly recipients to arrive at reasonable hours, expressing safety concern after some queued from midnight and a couple requiring medical assistance.
“Our good intentions were marred by safety incidents, including one case where an ambulance had to be called during the registration process,” Everise Ventures Sdn Bhd President Tan Sri TC Goh told reporters at their annual lunch reception held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration.
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“This is a company corporate social responsibility programme for Chinese New Year. We give a small token, small gift, small angpao. It may be small, but the meaning is big,” he said at the event held at the Putera Ballroom in Bukit Padang on Sunday.
Goh and STC Executive Chairman Chong Fook Loi personally handed out red packets and gift hampers to the 500 recipients, who were also treated to a sumptuous lunch and singing performances in conjunction with the Year of the Horse.
Goh said he is concerned about the safety of those coming in hours before the scheduled 7am registration time.
“Registration starts at 7am but some already start coming at midnight. That is my concern. And there was one couple during registration where an ambulance had to come,” he said.
He noted that some elderly recipients, including those in their 80s and disabled individuals, were dropped off by family members as early as 4am and left to queue on their own.
“I do not want the good intention to become bad memory. That is why I remind them that they do not need to come so early. Next year, I still want to see them,” Goh said.
He also spoke against social media postings that suggested that they (organisers) forced the elderly to queue in difficult conditions.
“They are very cooperative when they queue, but some internet postings especially on Facebook are very negative, some even accused the STC of bullying the elderly by forcing them to queue under the sun.
“All these things, I urge the social media not to do this because it is never our company’s intention to force them to queue,” he said.
He said the event has expanded from 150 to 200 recipients initially to the current 500 recipients.
“This year saw some 700 people turning up to register, however we have a 500-recipient cap,” he said, adding that they will consider increasing the number of recipients based on their business performance but pointed out that safety remains the priority.
“If our performance is good, we will increase. We try to organise so that everybody is happy, especially with regards to safety,” he said.
