Theantdaily People’s welfare is more important than image of city Alyaa Alhadjri COMMENT: The damage has been done and there is little that the government can do to reverse the negative publicity it received due to insensitive remarks by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. Ku Nan (as he is popularly known) jangan buat PC (press conference). Dia kena keluar kenyataan je, a friend remarked following a long statement issued by the Putrajaya MP on Friday with details of governments plans for to tackle issues of homelessness and destitutes in Kuala Lumpur. Tengku Adnan had claimed that his remarks were misunderstood by critics I have noted the complaints from the rakyat and friends on the homeless issue I have brought up. My intention is to amend the situation, but if there are some who have made a different impression or perception, then I am prepared to clarify and explain my real purpose, he wrote on his Facebook account. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tengku Adnan made headlines for his insistence that the government would clean up its streets of beggars and the homeless. The Malay word that Tengku Adnan used on Wednesday (July 2) to describe the process, to be carried out by City Hall and other relevant enforcement agencies, was angkut and this is the same word commonly used for garbage collection. He also said the ministry would impose fines and other penalties on both the givers of alms and beggars. His controversial statements drew widespread criticisms for unfairly targeting the underpriviledged community, along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are on the streets to offer assistance. But Tengku Adnan remained adamant that their presence has tarnished the image of Kuala Lumpur. In a press conference in City Hall on Thursday (July 3), Tengku Adnan reportedly said: The image of my city is very bad ... If I dont do this sort of thing, society wont be disciplined. There is definitely a very serious problem brewing if a minister appears to be more concerned with the image of his city than for the well-being of its dwellers. News portal The Malay Mail Online also quoted Tengku Adnan as calling the homeless lazy and unwilling to hold a steady job. We found them work. Theyre so lazy. After two days of work, they run away. Then when we find out, they say its easy to find food in other places. Thats the problem, Tengku Adnan claimed. The Putrajaya MP had earlier announced that soup kitchens will be fined if they do not adhere to a new regulation (beginning Monday July 7) that forbids NGOs from feeding the homeless within a 2km-radius around Lot 10 - a shopping mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpurs Golden Triangle. In an interview with news channel Astro Awani, meant to seek a clarification of his statements, Tengku Adnan insisted that he did not want the tourist hub to be dirty and rat infested until foreign newspapers will label KL as Rat City. If these NGOs want to distribute free food, they can do so beyond the restricted area, they can cooperate with the local mosques or temples, or even inside a premise, he said. There are many soup kitchens operating in Kuala Lumpur and Hussain Muhammad, who volunteers with a group calling themselves Region of Love, told theantdaily: Rich politicians boastfully declare that the city is theirs, looking down on the poor and creating fear among people who have the conscience to come down and help. They appear to be sensitive to the citys aesthetics but cruel to their own people. It has been repeated tirelessly that issues afflicting the homeless and destitutes are caused by the rising cost of living. The government has failed to draft good laws and policies that could help ease the burden of the homeless and impoverished, Hussain said, adding that their target areas has so far been around Chow Kit, Kotaraya and Klang, he said. Another Region of Love volunteer who wants to be known only as Dadhyana also pointed out that taking the beggars and homeless off the streets will not solve the root causes of issues affecting a larger number of the underprivileged who are earning a meagre income of between RM600 and RM800 a month. We would like Tengku Adnan to make time for three consecutive days to join us and see the various categories (who benefits from soup kitchens). The soup kitchens offer job opportunities and form relationships that enable many to transition off the streets, she stressed. A similar invitation was also extended to Tengku Adnan from another group who calls themselves Dapur Jalanan, operating around Panggung Bandaraya near City Hall. Started in February last year, the group supported by about 30 volunteers, said Tengku Adnan and DBKL had no rights to dictate the movements of any organisation offering free food as the government was not directly funding such activities. Be it issues of bureaucracies, inefficiencies, or just plain stupidity on the parts of relevant government agencies, there are more people on the streets who are unable to benefit from assistance under the Welfare Department or Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. To criminalise them is certainly not the answer and Tengku Adnans attempt at justifying the decisions made clearly shows a real disconnect between government policies and matters affecting the ordinary man on the street, literally. Tengku Adnan, what are you trying to prove? Are you suffering from Ivory Tower Syndrome?
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 15:32:07 +0000
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