Latest news with #Liow
Daily Express
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
No fairness with RM43b for Peninsula, nothing for Sabah
Published on: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 17, 2025 Text Size: KOTA KINABALU: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has slammed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for failing to address Sabah's chronic electricity issues, calling it a gross injustice. "Where's the fairness and justice for Sabah when you committed via TNB RM43 billion to upgrade the national grid in Malaya, but there's no mention of upgrading the Sabah grid to 500 kV or building the much-needed southern link from Sipitang to Tawau?" asked LDP Supreme Council member Peggy Liow. Advertisement She said Anwar's silence during his Energy Asia 2025 speech on Sabah's power crisis shows a lack of federal commitment, despite Sabahans enduring years of power outages and insufficient supply. 'Sabah's energy regulatory powers may now lie with ECOS, but funding electricity infrastructure remains a federal responsibility under the Constitution,' she added, pointing out that the federal government owns 83pc of Sabah Electricity. LDP is calling for RM10 billion in federal funding, RM8 billion for large-scale gas power plants and RM2 billion for a 500 kV grid upgrade and southern transmission link. 'These are urgent needs, not wants. There's no need to beg, it's the federal government's duty,' Liow stressed. She urged all Sabahans, regardless of political affiliation, to unite in demanding action, adding, 'We've raised this issue before. Still, there's been no positive response.' Liow also invited PKR's Sabah leaders to engage directly with LDP on solutions. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
AsiaOne
10-06-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Singaporean owner of defunct company barred from raising funds for charity after regulatory breaches, Singapore News
A Singaporean man, 26, has been barred from carrying out fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations. Eugene Liow Chia Hau will not be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes from Tuesday (June 10). In a joint statement on the same day, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that the Commissioner of Charities had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fund-raising appeals carried out by Direct Hope, which was run by Liow. The now-defunct company was engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fund-raiser between May 2023 and January 2024. Investigations by MSF found that Liow, who is the sole proprietor of Direct Hope, had multiple breaches under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations. Liow did not place adequate "control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability" of donations collected by Direct Hope, and to prevent them from being lost or stolen, MCCY and MSF said. "He also did not maintain proper accounting records of the fund-raising appeals, or a list of the personal particulars of Direct Hope's collectors," they said. Checks by AsiaOne showed that Direct Hope is not a registered charity. Its business records listing its principal activity as "other social services without accommodation". Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts. Direct Hope was registered as a business in August 2021, and its licence expired three years later and was not renewed. A screenshot of the Direct Hope website, shared on social media, showed the group describing itself as a "community-driven social youth enterprise" that purportedly supports "marginalised youths" through "direct selling activities". AsiaOne found that online complaints about Direct Hope going door to door soliciting donations have been circulating since 2022. MCCY and MSF said that while most fund-raising appeals are genuine, it is important for the public to continue practicing safer giving to ensure "their donations are used for genuine charitable purposes". The ministries said that members of the public should ask questions and check the Charity Portal at to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fund-raising appeal. They can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal. Members of the public can also send an SMS to 79777, which should be formatted as FR , followed by a space and the organisation's name, or call the Charities Unit on 6337-6597. "Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate," MCCY and MSF said. They can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@ to alert them on suspicious fund-raising activities. If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately. [[nid:688365]] chingshijie@
New Paper
10-06-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Man, 26, barred from conducting fundraising for charity
A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been barred from carrying out any fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations. Starting from June 10, Mr Eugene Liow Chia Hau will no longer be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in a statement that same day. The prohibition order was first published in the electronic gazette on June 9 and was issued by the Commissioner of Charities (COC). The Straits Times had approached MCCY for more information upon the publication of the notice. In their June 10 statement, the ministries said the COC had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fundraising appeals carried out by Direct Hope, which was run by Mr Liow. Direct Hope had been engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fundraiser between May 2023 and January 2024. The feedback led to an investigation by MSF, which found Mr Liow to have breached multiple regulations under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations 2012. He did not implement "control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability" of the donations collected by Direct Hope, nor ways to prevent donations from being lost or stolen. Mr Liow also did not keep proper accounting records of the fundraising appeals, and did not have a list of the personal particulars of those who had helped Direct Hope solicit for donations. A sole proprietorship, Direct Hope was not a registered charity, with a search of its business records listing its principal activity as "other social services without accommodation". Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts. Incorporated in August 2021, its business licence expired in August 2024 and was not renewed, with a search on its website showing that it is no longer active. An archived version dated in August 2024 showed that it marketed itself as a "community driven social youth enterprise" that aimed to help marginalised youth. This was done through "teaching them important life skills & values, giving them community support and by alleviating their financial burdens through job opportunities and entrepreneurial projects". A search online showed that complaints about Direct Hope going door-to-door soliciting donations have been circulating since at least 2022. Advising the public to be discerning when approached by those soliciting donations, the ministries said that although most fundraising appeals are genuine, it is important to verify that their donations are going to legitimate causes. Besides asking questions, the ministries said that people can check through the Charity Portal at to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fundraising appeal. Otherwise, they can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal. They can also send an SMS to 79777, which should be formatted as FR, followed by a space, and the organisation's name, or call the Charities Unit at 6337 6597. "Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate," the statement said. If one suspects that a fundraising activity may be suspicious, they can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@ If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately.
Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Singaporean man barred from conducting fundraising for charitable purposes: MCCY, MSF
An archived version of Direct Hope's website from August 2024, which shows it marketing itself as a social youth enterprise. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM INTERNET ARCHIVE SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been barred from carrying out any fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations. Starting from June 10 , Mr Eugene Liow Chia Hau will no longer be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in a statement that same day. The prohibition order was first published in the electronic gazette on June 9 and was issued by the Commissioner of Charities (COC). T he Straits Times had approached MCCY for more information upon the publication of the notice. In their June 10 statement, the ministries said the COC had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fundraising appeals carried out by Direct Hope , which was run by Mr Liow. Direct Hope had been engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fundraiser between May 2023 and January 2024. The feedback led to an investigation by MSF, which found Mr Liow to have breached multiple regulations under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations 2012. He did not implement 'control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability' of the donations collected by Direct Hope, nor ways to prevent donations from being lost or stolen. Mr Liow also did not keep proper accounting records of the fundraising appeals, and did not have a list of the personal particulars of those who had helped Direct Hope solicit for donations. A sole proprietorship , Direct Hope was not a registered charity , with a search of its business records listing its principal activity as 'other social services without accommodation'. Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts. Incorporated in August 2021 , its business licence expired in August 2024 and was not renewed , with a search on its website showing that it is no longer active. An archived version dated in August 2024 showed that it marketed itself as a 'community driven social youth enterprise' that aimed to help marginalised youth. This was done through 'teaching them important life skills & values, giving them community support and by alleviating their financial burdens through job opportunities and entrepreneurial projects'. A search online showed that complaints about Direct Hope going door-to-door soliciting donations have been circulating since at least 2022. Advising the public to be discerning when approached by those soliciting donations, the ministries said that although most fundraising appeals are genuine, it is important to verify that their donations are going to legitimate causes. Besides asking questions, the ministries said that people can check through the Charity Portal at to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fundraising appeal. Otherwise, they can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal. They can also send an SMS to 79777 , which should be formatted as FR, followed by a space, and the organisation's name , or call the Charities Unit at 6337 6597 . 'Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate,' the statement said. If one suspects that a fundraising activity may be suspicious, they can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@ If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Daily Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
LDP: Sabah Electricity must offer solutions for prolonged blackouts
Published on: Thursday, May 22, 2025 Published on: Thu, May 22, 2025 Text Size: Liow criticised SE's management for being detached from the public's struggles. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Electricity (SE) is urged to go beyond simply issuing power outage notices by also providing mobile or standby generators for scheduled power disruptions lasting two hours or longer. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Supreme Council member Peggy Liow said the party received complaints from residents of Dah Yeh Villa in the Likas constituency, following a scheduled eight-hour power outage on Tuesday, from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Liow, a lawyer and member of the LDP Political Bureau, said it is no longer acceptable for SE to merely inform consumers of outages without offering solutions to minimise the impact. 'Issuing a notice is not enough. SE must take responsibility by providing alternative power sources, such as mobile generator sets, to ensure that residents and businesses are not left in the dark — both literally and economically,' she said. She added that long outages are particularly disruptive in urban and suburban areas where most households rely on refrigerators and freezers to store perishable items. 'A two-hour power cut may not cause significant damage, but when electricity is cut for eight hours or more, stored meats and perishables can spoil, leading to economic losses and major inconvenience. Consumers should not be expected to tolerate this, regardless of how polite the notice from SE may be,' she stressed. Advertisement Liow criticised SE's management for being detached from the public's struggles. 'The management must stop acting from a position of comfort and start understanding the daily realities faced by consumers. It's time for SE to come down from its high horse and be more proactive in addressing these recurring issues,' she said. She urged SE to revise its protocols for scheduled maintenance or upgrades to include contingency plans that ensure minimal disruption to residents' lives. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
