It is of no concern to the public including the reasons and rationale on why the public agreed to the donation.
It is their monies and their concerns.
How they want to spend their hard earned monies and channel it to who, assuming it is earned in a taxable manner, is of not concern to anyone else.
Except LHDN.
It is of no concern to the public on how the initiator or organiser utilised the funds raised and in whatever way even if the total funds raised are not utilised for its stated purposes.
So many charities raised funds with a stated purpose but did anyone from the public asked them to be transparent and report details of the application and usage of the funds raised?
Zero.
Malaysians are a generous lot.
Donations flow abundantly into funds set up by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or specific persons in the wake of tragedies or disasters, whether affecting individuals or large communities.
With advances in technology and the influence of social media, fundraising has become easier and quicker, eliminating the need to go door-to-door or place donation boxes at specific locations as was the case in the past.
The generosity of the public and convenience of sophisticated technology are enabling NGOs and individuals to expedite the collection of money.
More often than not, donors find themselves in a bind after making a single contribution as they would continuously receive requests for further donations via text messages or emails from the NGOs or parties concerned.
Whether the organiser or initiator of a crowdfunding wants to reveal and be transparent in their collections and application of the funds they raised are their own initiatives and subject to their own integrity and moral standards.
If they have zero integrity and moral standards, so be it.
There is no general statutory law forcing an individual crowdfunding organizer to publicly publish their spreadsheets, bank statements, or exact usage details.
Because of this specific lack of explicit disclosure laws, many organizers deliberately remain silent, hiding behind the absence of a reporting mandate to take advantage of donors.
Collecting money under false pretenses—such as fabricating a cause or lying about where the money goes—is considered criminal fraud.
Diverting public donations to personal use—such as buying assets or funding a personal lifestyle—is classified as criminal misappropriation or embezzlement.
Organizers rely heavily on this "right to remain silent."
They know that they cannot be arrested simply for failing to post a receipt on Facebook or TikTok.
By keeping the collection total completely hidden, the public cannot easily tell if they asked for RM10,000 but secretly pocketed RM500,000.
Is the public left at the mercy of the organizer’s conscience?
The donors should take personal responsibility for where they send their money.
Translated to "buyer beware".
A degree of common-sense skepticism is required from the consumer or donor before parting with assets.
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