KUALA LUMPUR – Police should play a bigger role in helping MPs distribute aid to as many people and in the shortest time possible, as the prolonged Covid-19 lockdown drives thousands of Malaysians into poverty.
Klang lawmaker Charles Santiago made this suggestion after Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was ordered to shut his service centre due to large crowds turning up for food aid each day.
Santiago, under similar circumstances as Segambut’s Hannah Yeoh, was also forced to stop his aid drive for fear of repercussions for breaching standard operating procedures and risking the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking to The Vibes, the DAP man proposed that police have dedicated teams to assist parliamentarians in aiding the needy by ensuring SOPs, including social distancing, are complied with.
The situation is dire, people are desperate. We need to distribute aid fast. Police have to go the extra mile. Closing down centres won’t help. I think police should help us, act as enablers.
“Police can help enforce government SOPs, and this will ensure things run smoothly. Otherwise, there will be social problems when families don’t have food, and unrest will happen. Police have to nip it in the bud.”
In a Facebook post last night, Syed Saddiq said his service centre was ordered shut effective today.
However, the Muda founder told The Vibes that he will continue operating the food bank programme at the centre, saying it is inhumane to turn away those who show up seeking assistance.
Santiago had been distributing vegetables to underprivileged folk in his constituency each Sunday since the pandemic started last year.
As the health crisis persists, and with an increasing number of households slipping down income brackets, there has been a spike in families turning to him for help.
In recent months, he has distributed aid to 2,500 families each week.
Santiago said he was forced to suspend the vegetable aid drive due to the risk of Covid-19 spreading among constituents and his volunteer team, as there were no police guidance or assistance when it came to crowd control.
“Although we try to enforce the SOPs, somehow, I don’t feel very comfortable. We also have volunteers with us, so we have to protect and think of them. I don’t know what to do.
“The level of desperation on the ground is very serious. If police can allocate some personnel to ensure the SOPs are abided by, we would be very happy.”
He said the vegetable distribution effort will continue only when the enhanced movement control order in Selangor is lifted and the number of Covid-19 cases drop, but noted that his other aid programme – providing dry food items at a drive-in facility at Port Klang – will continue. – The Vibes, July 14, 2021
