The warning by the Federal Territories Minister
Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to penalise soup kitchens and round-up the
homeless in KL city only goes to show that the minister is totally out of
touch with the plight of the poor, especially the urban poor, who are finding
it extremely difficult to make ends meet with the high cost of living in the
City.
Most of poor and homeless in the city are old,
sickly, ex-drug addicts or are abandoned by their families for their
unacceptable behaviour earlier in life. Most of them have changed and want to
lead normal lives but are not able to do so as they are penniless and
jobless for various reasons. There may be some foreigners among them but most
are our own locals who seem to have been marginalised from the mainstream
of development.
The warning by Tengku Adnan that soup kitchens
in Kuala Lumpur have to move out of the city centre or face getting punished is
very shocking. What crime have these kind-hearted Samaritans committed?
What type of punishment is he referring to and under what laws will they be
charged? It is ironical that those who are willing to go out of the way to help
the poor are being warned not to do so.It is extremely ridiculous that those
who want to do good are punished but real criminals go scot-free. What type of
culture are our leaders promoting? What message are they sending to the young?
Distributing food to the urban poor is not the real
problem but not doing anything to address the increasing urban poverty is.
Homelessness is not the real problem but ignoring the need for basic housing
for the poor is. Vagrants living on the streets of the city is not
the real image problem but having citizens, in particular leaders, living is
great luxury but with no heart for the pain and suffering of the poor is the
real image problem.
It is shocking that many of the poor have been
homeless for years, living on the pavements and fed by concerned fellow
Malaysians of all ethnicity. It is encouraging to know that just as the
vagrants come from all races so are those who are managing the soup kitchens
that feed them. The love of ordinary citizens to help their fellow men in need
transcends race and creed unlike those in power, who are more concerned with
who they help
Ku Nan seems to be worried about the image problem
created by poor vagrants roaming the streets of the city. But in actual fact
that is not the real image problem but having citizens, in particular
leaders living in luxury, but with no heart for the suffering of the poor is
the real image problem. Apathy to the pain of others is the biggest image
problem we face today in our country.
We were once proud of the image we had in the world, united
and harmonious despite our diversity, peaceful, courteous and extremely helpful
even to strangers. But today can we claim to have that same image that we can
all be proud of as Malaysians?
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