KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya has no plans to make public donation fund Tabung Harapan Malaysia an annual tradition, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.
He said Tabung Harapan was a one-time fund, set up to curb the impact of the 1MDB scandal.
“The fund was only set up because of the 1MDB scandal, when we saw the reaction from the public who wanted to show how disgusted they were with 1MDB.
“Without the scandal, we would not need Tabung Harapan Malaysia,” he said in response to Awang Hashim (PAS-Pendang), who had asked if the fund would be made an annual affair.
He added that the fund was a trust deed and should not be treated as earnings.
“A trust deed is different. It is a specific procedure bound by law. We cannot simply use it,” he said.
According to Lim, the total amount of donations collected as of Jan 14 stood at RM202,716,775.10.