SHAH ALAM, 9 July: Prominent journalist, Datuk A Kadir Jasin, stated that he would fully support the decision of the Federal Territories Minister to ban the operation of Soup Kitchens in the capital if the government guarantees that the homeless will be fully taken care of.
He said that most of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have come forward to feed the homeless because there is a lack of awareness among the authorities, especially the government, to help these people.
He said that the government should look at the larger context of economic inequality, unemployment, poverty and the lack of safety net for the poor and the destitute.
“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,” said the former Chief Editor of the New Straits Times Group.
At the same time, A Kadir also slammed the minister’s decision to ban the feeding operation within the 2-km radius of Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang.
The prominent journalist cynically questioned why the directive was specially for the area of the leading shopping centre in the city’s capital.
“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?” he asked.
A Kadir said that our ministers will be more aware of the life of the ordinary people 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.
NS
