‘Reveal Suaram’s source of funding’

(NST) – Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) director Kua Kia Soong and former leader R. Sivarasa have been urged to reveal the non-governmental organisation’s source of funding.

Former Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Ng Lum Yong said Kua and Sivarasa, a former PKR vice-president, should explain whether the independent human rights NGO was funded by a Chinese tycoon.

“Is Suaram funded by the same individual who paid private investigator P. Balasubramaniam RM20,000 a month?” Ng asked in a statement yesterday.

This follows claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin that Balasubramaniam was paid off after he had signed a statutory declaration on July 1, 2008, in a plot to slander Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

On Friday, Raja Petra named several people in the latest expose, including Sivarasa and lawyer M. Puravalen.

Raja Petra said he first met Balasubramaniam at Puravalen’s house for a meeting regarding the Altantuya murder on July 2, 2008, after receiving a call from Sivarasa earlier that day.

Present during the meeting were Sivarasa, Puravalen, Balasubramaniam and an ex-police officer, Raja Petra alleged.

Ng also asked Sivarasa, who is Subang member of parliament, to explain why Kua had not attended the meeting, which was revealed by Raja Petra on malaysia-today.net.

“I urge Sivarasa and Kua to come forward and give an explanation regarding the revelations by Raja Petra as well as to declare Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd’s source of funding.”

On July 31, Companies Commission of Malaysia chief executive officer Mohd Naim Daruwish, in a press statement, said Suaram was not an NGO, but an entity registered as a company called Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd with a paid-up capital of RM2.