Mr Pm Compassion Rises Above All And Should Not Be Labelled

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This is an open letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Mr Prime Minister,
We should generally be proud of ourselves. You should take immense pride in leading a country of generous and compassionate people who are ever ready to do their bit to assist the unfortunate.
Malaysians have been at the forefront of many local issues, from providing homeless people with a roof over their heads to paying for medical treatment.
ADSTranscending borders, Malaysians rallied with cash and kind donations to victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Acheh, the earthquakes in Nepal and Turkiye, the floods in Laos, and other calamities worldwide.
Therefore, your criticism of those who questioned the government’s efforts in helping to rebuild Gaza may be misguided.
“One group claims this is just ‘play-play’. This (aid to Gaza) involves hundreds of millions. Then, there are so-called intelligent individuals and former leaders, with one saying that we have not even resolved our school issues yet but want to help others.
“What kind of mindset is this? In Islam, we are not taught to think like that,” you said on Friday.
In August last year, you expressed similar sentiments over the backlash from some parties against the government’s move to bring injured Palestinians from Gaza to receive medical treatment.
PM Anwar Ibrahim at a Palestine solidarity gathering last yearJudging by the recent remarks, you have directed the words to fellow Muslims. But judging by the responses to news reports and comments on social media, the criticisms transcend all boundaries – religion, culture, and ethnicity.
Is there really room for criticism?
Democracy allows the government to be open to criticism by the voters. Voters now feel that the government is criticising them for expressing their views.
As the leader, you are not exempt from criticism and have no qualms about it. Two weeks ago, at the London School of Economics, you declared: “People can criticise me for my policies, but they cannot use (the) race and religious cards.”
No race card has been used. It was the atypical response from Malaysians who feel short-changed. So, why the hyped-up response?
Mr Prime Minister, no one is against you or ticking you off for the compassion you are showing. But as taxpayers, they want their hard-earned money to work for them.
The common thread in these remarks is not diplomatic lingo but prickly and direct language: Fix the problems at home before trying to help others.
ADSConceding that Gaza needs to be rebuilt, former minister Rafidah Aziz on Thursday however cautioned that there are also pressing issues back home.
She cited, among other things, the “sad state” of rural schools, which are often highlighted in the media.
Former minister Rafidah Aziz“Also, there are inadequacies in our outlying government hospitals and places of worship,” she told Malaysiakini.
There are many examples of such failures, but the situation at Kuala Lumpur’s National Heart Institute (IJN), the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital in Serdang, stands out as an example.
Its four operating theatres cannot be used, as they all face maintenance issues. Only one of the four older operating theatres is operational.
About a thousand patients who need heart surgery have been put on a long waiting list for several months due to infrastructure issues, with only urgent cases being given priority.
The situation has been aggravated by the government’s decision to prevent government pensioners from seeking follow-up treatment at IJN due to cost-cutting measures.
The situation in many government hospitals is no different. Many are bursting at the seams with complaints of doctor and staff shortages.
When will these problems be fixed? We are often told to tighten our belts because the government has money issues. Usually, we see the results of cost-cutting and austerity.
The rakyat only wants to know why similar efforts are not being made to resolve more significant issues in Malaysia, such as employing more doctors in government hospitals, building more public clinics and hospitals, and providing better budgets for medicines and equipment in all government health facilities.
Or constructing proper roads, ensuring a consistent water and electricity supply for all, repairing all schools, and providing better amenities.
Floods cause havoc periodically in the Klang Valley. What about finding solutions?
In Kuantan, the failure to complete the new school building has forced pupils of SJKT Ladang Jeram to continue attending lessons in container classrooms for over 20 years.
This, in a nutshell, speaks of the people’s frustration and disappointment over the government’s priorities.
Trillion in debt
In Parliament last November, you said the federal government’s debt increased by RM66 billion to RM1.24 trillion as of September, compared to RM1.17 trillion at the end of 2023.
The rise in debt was due to the need to finance the fiscal deficit to fund development expenditure.
Where else would the budget to rebuild the facilities in Gaza come from but taxpayers’ money? Under these circumstances, the people have a right to express their unhappiness about the millions to be spent on Gaza.
When it comes to compassion, empathy, and kindness, they cannot be compartmentalised. They must be applied and exercised equally and fairly.
Why, then, are boats carrying Muslim Rohingya refugees being turned away at sea? Aren’t they humans, too? Aren’t we picking and choosing? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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