Gaza Aid Should Be Presented To Parliament

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THE Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue (ACID) welcomes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s initiative to build a school, hospital, and mosque in Gaza which has been destroyed by Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023.
Anwar’s statement comes as the ceasefire in the besieged enclave continues.
The people of Gaza whose dignity have been trampled around through genocide would need much help from the international community which Malaysia is part of.
Today in Malaysia the Gaza conflict has been seen from religious lens or prejudices and there is need for proper understanding of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has nothing to do with religion per se but colonialism orchestrated by Zionist with the help of Western powers.
Having said that, it is vital for the prime minister to present the project to Parliament if it involves public funds derived from Malaysian taxpayers.
The Malaysian taxpayers deserve a comprehensive understanding of what the government has so far promised and why Malaysia should do its part to help the Palestinian community.
The criticism towards the government on the Gaza aid cannot be brushed aside through religious arguments or sentimentality since Malaysia is currently suffering from issues such as high cost of living due to subsidy rationalisation, high public debt and poor wages despite the so-called increase in the minimum wage.
If we can’t afford it, diplomatic pressure is the right way to go forward in bringing up the Palestinian cause which Malaysia has done well over the decades.
Furthermore the option of acceding to the Rome statute is the way forward for Malaysia if it really desires to help the Palestinians since it will be dealing crimes such as genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression.
Therefore, let’s create balance in understanding the Gaza aid proposed by the Prime Minister by presenting it to Parliament from all angles,not by mere explanation, but by getting all MPs to debate it.
Ronald Benjamin
Ipoh, Perak
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 
- Focus Malaysia.

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