Jiangmen association blames Covid-19 for ‘donation retraction’

After being accused of retracting a promised donation of MOP100 million, the Jiangmen Communal Society responded by saying that “helping is an act of goodwill [and the help seekers] should not make the good-doers shiver in fright.”
The group issued a statement to explain its stance. In the statement, it stressed that it has “patiently explained through various channels to the Sin Fong Garden Management Committee, but in vain,” implying that the management committee did not accept the communal society’s explanation.
According to the leaders of the management committee, the heads of the communal society have stopped paying the money widely understood to be a donation because the society no longer has money as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The communal society reiterated that stance in the statement. “In a meeting, the heads of the communal society have clearly stated that the original advance payment cannot be settled due to the ‘recent economic downturn’, on top of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic.”
It stressed that the communal society has expressed its willingness to search for other plans with the management committee. “At the meeting, two suggestions were proposed to the management committee,” the communal society noted in the statement. “First, the management committee will determine its financing and the communal society will pay for the interest.”
The interest payment, however, will only cover those within the construction period. It means that if the debt cannot be fully repaid during the construction period, the outstanding interest will be borne by individual owners.
The second option will also involve the flat owners looking for their sources of funds. “Second, the communal society will offer a one-off donation of MOP8 million. The remainder will have to be concluded by the management committee,” the statement pointed out.
Previously, the communal society held a “donation ceremony” for the sum of MOP100 million. AL