Soup Kitchens vs 1Malaysia

A Kadir Jasin

I AM in full support of the Federal Territory Ministry’s decision to differ the ban on the operation of soup kitchens within the 2-km radius of Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang.

I will also support any decision to ban any kind of soup kitchen operation altogether, not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in the whole country, IF (very big if) the government can ensure that every person – man, woman and child – now fed by the volunteers, are taken care of.

To the government of Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, I say this: Those selfless NGOs, volunteers and donors came forward to help because the authorities had not done much to feed and assist these poor people.

A street child benefiting from Pertiwi's soup kitchen

So now, if Mohd Najib and his ministers – the likes of Tengku (Teuku) Adnan Tengku (Teuku) Mansor (Federal Territory) and Rohani Abdul Karim (Women, Family and Community Development) – are ready to take care of these downtrodden, the NGOs, the volunteers and the donors can move to do something else for the society.

1Malaysia will be more meaningful if ministers walk the talk

For this latest FT Ministry’s decision, my question is, why specifically to 2 km away from Lot 10? What is so special about Lot 10 anyway?

I hope it is not because it belongs to YTL Corporation, whose Managing Director, Francis Yeoh Siok Ping, had famously declared that he was not Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s crony.

I am sure other high-end property owners also do not like soup kitchens to be operating in the vicinity of their establishments. So why did the government single out Lot 10 for this preferred treatment?

Finally, this issue of urban destitution should be seen within the larger context of economic inequality, unemployment, poverty and the lack of safety net for the poor and the destitute.

Share the smile with the rakyat, make private walkabouts

Our ministers will be more aware of the life of the ordinary rakyat if they spend less time in their posh offices or being rushed around in escorted convoys and spend a bit more time on the ground. A little walkabout on their own - like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did when he was PM - may even make them healthier.

1Malaysia will be more meaningful if they show a bit more sincerity and honesty in fulfilling the promises of people first (rakyat didahulukan) and performance now (pencapaian diutamakan).

Incidentally, if you find that Internet is slow that’s because our beloved Malaysia has one of the slowest Internet speed in the world as we dream of becoming a developed nation by 2020. Read here.

Wallahuaklam.