George Soros has been seen with a positive light lately. Apparently he has done a lot for many. Allegedly sponsoring Bersih, and MalaysiaKini.
These acts of donations are ostensibly legal and are the rights of the Civil Society Organisations. This is could be good news to many other civil societies that are cash stripped.
We now know of a philanthropist willing to spend his hard earned money for the sake of humanity. Though there are some questions that linger on the reasons behind his support.
How does one obtain these funds and what is expected? As we know there are many human rights activities that go on in Malaysia that are apolitical.
Many societies struggle to help the poor, educate, treat etc. because of a shortage in bank notes.
Do they not deserve some sort of help? Did they get any help? If they did not, then what does it take to get the attention of Open Society Foundation (OSF) operated by Soros?
Or are these funds only valid for anti-government activities? George Soros is not exactly viewed as a saint, vis a vis his actions are concerned.
In 2002 Soros was fined 2.2 Million Euros by the French government for insider trading. He appealed to overturn the decision but was unsuccessful. In 2006 the French Court of Cassation upheld the earlier judgement and rejected his bid.
In other words Soros tried to make profit through illegal means. Back in 1992, in an event known as “Black Wednesday”, Soros made money by toppling the Bank of England.
According to Forbes, he gained an estimated USD 1.5 Billion. Apart from that, he is known to make profits from countries in “tight” situations.
Basically Soros takes advantage of countries that are in bad financial conditions. His act of philanthropy could very well be a way of wiping away his guilt.
He continued this method of making money up until his retirement in 2011. He damaged many countries in the process, and one of them is ours.
Would it be ethical to take money from someone who has done so much? Taking handouts from a person like Soros would be a kin to naming drug lords as saints.
These are not all of his adventures, we merely listed the most profound. If taking money from such a person can be justified, then we have to remember that taking money from anyone can be justified. Pablo Escobar perhaps?
Outwardly it is the same people who made and still make a lot of noise at the hint of corruption and/or misuse of funds. The question is what did they do with theirs?
Rehan Ahmad Bin Jamaluddin Ahmad
Research Fellow, Institut Kajian Strategik Islam Malaysia (IKSIM)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, and should not be attributed to, Isma or Ismaweb.
