In KL, feeding the ego, not the poor

A homeless man having his meal provided by Dapur Jalanan's volunteers in Kuala Lumpur, last March. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, July 3, 2014.

Can one Malaysian minister just simply decide to ban soup kitchens because it makes Kuala Lumpur's image bad?

Ironically, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor's ban only makes Kuala Lumpur and by extension, Malaysia, look even worse.

The minister says that soup kitchens in the capital city have to relocate by next Monday or face a fine, just a day after he said the authorities would penalise those caught donating to the poor and homeless in Kuala Lumpur streets.

Apparently, doing good in Kuala Lumpur is a bad thing.

Is that why the city authorities have not made any such endeavour to feed the poor and homeless, or at least provide centres for charities and groups to carry out such activities in the capital city?

Instead, the minister is warning organisations that have been caring for the least and last in society, something the fat cats in Putrajaya should have been doing.

So, instead of saying thank you, he is threatening these organisations. How's that for gratitude? How's that for showing that Malaysians do care for the poor and less privileged?

How's that for deciding to ban such activities during the Ramadan fasting month, when Muslims are enjoined to do good, not bad?

And why are the city authorities doing this? To maintain the image of the city for tourists and visitors. Good show, Mr Minister.

In essence, he is trying to whitewash the city and not tackle the underlying issue of why there are so many homeless or indigent people around. Many of them suffer from mental problems and should be placed in homes, not cast aside, uncared for.

What has the city done for the poor and the homeless? Yes, by all means please go after the syndicates that bring in beggars, but also discern those who have nowhere to turn to for a hot meal or a shower.

Why make them criminals? Why make those who care also criminals? Is this the Malaysia we want to display in Kuala Lumpur from now to beyond 2020? A high-income nation where there are no poor, not because they don't exist but because some of us don't care.

The soul of Malaysia or for that matter, any country, is evident from the way we look after the marginalised. Yet, here he is in the holy month of Ramadan, giving ultimatums without providing a solution.

Instead of warning charities and groups looking after the poor, at least provide them with a place and shower facilities for the marginalised.

Because, Mr Minister, you have just made Kuala Lumpur look worse than the beggars on the streets. Your ban just feeds your ego, not the poor
of KL.

- TMI