KUALA LUMPUR: MOST soup kitchen operators will be defying the order to move out of the Bukit Bintang area issued by the Federal Territories Ministry.
They said they would continue feeding the homeless in the same locations, all within a 2km-radius from Lot 10 and Bukit Bintang, which the ministry had set as the boundary for soup kitchens.
One of the areas that fall within the area for Pertiwi Soup Kitchen’s food handouts is near Kota Raya. The other two areas it serves, Chow Kit and Masjid India, will not be affected by the range limitation.
Chow Kit is 3km from Lot 10 while Masjid India is a further 600m out.
Pertiwi Soup Kitchen founder Munirah Abdul Hamid said they would continue feeding the homeless even if they were to be fined.
“Why would we want to stop charitable work that was launched by his (Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s) predecessor Datuk Raja Nong Chik? Is he saying that feeding the homeless was allowed then and not now?”
Munirah said Tengku Adnan should leave soup kitchen operators to their job and focus instead on addressing the problem of beggars, especially in Bukit Bintang, many of whom are being controlled by syndicates.
“Beggars in Bukit Bintang are the ones tarnishing the image of Kuala Lumpur. He should look into the matter rather than asking us to stop helping the homeless.
“He does not understand that we are dealing with those who are kicked out or feeling unwanted at home, coming from broken families, and suffering from mental illnesses or physical or emotional abuse.”
Pertiwi Soup Kitchen feeds between 500 and 700 homeless every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday at its three locations.
Reach Out Malaysia, another NGO that feeds the homeless at locations that fall within the 2km-radius from Lot 10, also said it would stay put.
Just like Pertiwi Soup Kitchen, only one of its three food distribution locations — in Puduraya — fall within the area.
The other locations are Masjid Negara (3.6km away) and Masjid India.
Similarly, Projek Kaseh4U founder Normaliza Mahadi, which feeds about 300 homeless every Tuesday near Tune Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail, said her NGO would be staying put.
“We will not stop providing decent food for the homeless and the minister should find a better solution instead of asking us to drop everything.”
Earlier, Tengku Adnan had clarified that steps were taken to clear the city centre of the homeless because they were contributing to dirty surroundings, especially in tourist spots.
He also said because of the dirty conditions they lived in, they were susceptible to infectious diseases.
These groups also sought alms in front of shopping complexes and allegedly contributed to other social ills and safety concerns, all of which contributed to marring the city’s image in the eyes of tourists.
Reports by authorities showed that some beggars were taken to different parts of the city by syndicates to beg for alms, with a few earning lucrative income, as they had been detained while staying at hotels near where they operate.
Tengku Adnan said the issue of the homeless and beggars was getting more critical, adding that the ministry would be working closely with related government agencies and NGOs to create a standard operating procedure to solve the issue.
He said that the ministry would be meeting with NGOs representatives on July 8 to identify locations where they would be allowed to distribute food and other services effectively.
In his blog on Thursday night, Tengku Adnan had clarified that the ministry had not issued any statement to stop any party or NGO from undertaking charity work or helping the homeless in the city centre.
He said the ministry was simply disallowing soup kitchens to operate within a 2km radius of Lot 10 and Bukit Bintang.
Tengku Adnan said his ministry had met with several government-related agencies, including City Hall, Alam Flora and the Welfare Department, to discuss ways to keep the city free of the homeless and beggars.
He added that the ministry would not have issued any statement without having studied the matter, as it was aware of 12 active NGOs that had been distributing food to the homeless in the area for years.
Tengku Adnan said the ministry was only concerned over the method used by the NGOs to distribute the food, as well as the locations.