KUALA LUMPUR – Giving aid is not taking the easy route, but is necessary when people are in need of immediate help, said Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim Chee Keong, amid criticism that lawmakers should focus on policymaking.
In a Twitter thread today, Sim said that in a crisis, it is a must to help even if local aid groups are already involved.
“Many of us work with local NGOs but the system is such that we have to be involved ourselves. I beg to disagree (that) ‘giving aid’ is easy.
“My staff and volunteers have been on the front lines since March 2020, mostly unacknowledged, uncredited – they’re not even vaccinated.”
I know some friends are saying MPs should focus on "policy making" and "go to debate in parliament" and not take the "easy" route of doing charity. Some may think we felt "glamorous". This is my humble view in a thread:
— Steven Sim ?? #Bangsa (@scheekeong) July 3, 2021
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He said his office has fielded calls from all over Malaysia asking for aid.
“It is sad. I don’t wish to see Malaysia filled with white flags. I know I won’t be able to please everyone or make everyone agree with me.
“But I hope that you'll see my position and not think it was taken out of ‘laziness’ or as an easy way out.”
Sim’s popularity has skyrocketed after he publicised certain people he helped by providing aid – in cash or in kind. With his popularity also comes detractors who criticised him for putting his efforts on his social media channels.
His efforts are also often written about in local news sites.
Recently, Sim helped to provide daily necessities to a family on the brink of losing all hope.
An unemployed father decided to hoist the white flag outside his wooden village house in Kg Cherok To’kun, Bukit Mertajam after depleting all his financial resources last month.
The action of Abdul Aziz Junid, 54, who used to mow lawns for a living, managed to grab the attention of neighbours, mosque committee members, and Sim’s office.
When met by The Vibes, the 54-year-old said that he had to be extremely thrifty with the family’s daily expenses to support his wife, who is seven months pregnant, and their two children who are 6 and 12 years old.
Aziz was on the verge of desperation, not knowing what to do, when he heard about the #benderaputih campaign that started recently to encourage poverty-stricken folk in need of urgent help during the pandemic and lockdown to make their appeal known. – The Vibes, July 3, 2021
