1CARE MONOPOLY ARTICLE IN MALAY MAIL 23rd April 2012. I REGRET

 About 1 month ago ( I even forgot when ), in the heat of the 1Care public campaign, I gave an interview to two reporters from the new Malay Mail. I spend about 2hours of my Sunday, to brief them and discuss with them this whole 1Care concept and proposal. They promised to do some research and write an article to highlight the many issues with 1 Care. They sounded sincere, so I trusted that they will do a good job and left it at that.

Today, I happened to sms Mr Fernandez to ask what happened to the article. He replied saying that the article is on the Malay mail front page today.
All excited, I quickly went to buy a copy of today's  Malay mail, and to my horror, discovered that he had misquoted me very badly. I like to think that it was an innocent mistakes, but I did wonder whether he was trying to put me in bad light. Whether there were hidden hands and ulterior motive. I do not know. It is just my suspicion.

So I quickly penned a letter to him, denying that the quotes came from me and dissociating myself from the inaccurate article. I suppose, I am a novice in mass media and dealing with the press.
Below is my letter to him today. I wanted to post it here so that there is a public record of it. I do not know what else to do. I am too poor to sue them.

Dear Terence,
I have just read your article in the Malay Mail today, on 1Care, entitled 1Care monopoly.

The whole article is full of inaccuracies. Some of the data quoted is probably not true.
However, those are minor compared to two major blunders that you wrote, viz,

            1. You said that I claim that I am a member of the panel that drafted the concept paper. THAT IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE. At no time in our interview did I even hint of that. In fact, I am completely opposed to the concept paper. The concept paper is drafted and written by the staff of the Ministry of Health, as stated in the front page. I am in private practice and have no part in drafting, formulating or writing the concept paper.

             2. We never discuss anything about using any " Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen". I am not sure where you got that fact from. It certainly is not from me.

I am not sure how, but I do wish that you will correct the errors. Please, in the interest of truths. You have put me in very bad light and in a way, put me into dis-repute. The MOH and my association, will be very crossed with me.
I suppose the lesson that I learn is not to trust reporters and always insist on reading the final write-up before allow to be quoted. I asked you repeated to quote me accurately, and you surely did not. I trusted you and you failed me.

With deep regret.

Dr SC Ng