LETTER | We the undersigned civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) view with grave concern the announcement by Defence Minister Ismail Sabri concerning how NGOs will now no longer be allowed to deliver food to vulnerable communities.
We certainly appreciate the gravity of the Covid-19 situation, and are fully committed to assist the government in every possible way to battle Covid-19 and stop the spread of the virus.
At the same time, we are concerned that there is a lack of appreciation as to just how many vulnerable communities are affected by the Movement Control Order, and are having difficulties accessing basic necessities such as food.
These communities include the B40, urban and rural poor, Malaysians who have lost their income as a result of the MCO, the elderly, the housebound, the sick, orphans, orang asli, migrant workers, refugee communities, and many, many more.
It is hard to imagine that the government has a complete list of all the vulnerable communities that need assistance, and will be able to take over serving all these communities immediately.
The very suggestion of such overcentralisation suggests poor planning and a poor understanding of the plight of the poor.
NGOs do not exist to supersede the work of the government, or to put the government in bad light in any way. The concept of #KitaJagaKita is not meant to imply any failure on the part of the government - it only emphasises the fact that the crisis is so bad, that all of us have a duty to care for one another.
We plead to the government to allow all NGOs that have been distributing food, medicine, and other aid to be allowed to continue doing so in a way that is safe and responsible, in full cooperation with the government, and in accordance with the health and safety guidelines of the government. We are certain NGOs involved will continue taking every required measure, including the consistent use of hand sanitisers and masks, social distancing, and the minimising of the number people involved.
This crisis is putting the lives of many, many vulnerable Malaysians at risk. We all need to come together and do our part, as a united nation.
1. Agora Society
2. ALIRAN
3. Al-Hasan Volunteer Network
4. AMMPO-SENTRO
5. Association of Women with Disabilities Malaysia
6. Asylum Access Malaysia
7. BENTARAKATA
8. Bersih 2.0
9. Beyond Borders Malaysia
10. Borneo Komrad
11. Buku Jalanan Chow Kit
12. Cahaya Society
13. Calvary Rainbow Assembly
14. CARAM Asia
15. Carefugees
16. CAREmart Sdn Bhd
17. CARING ASSOCIATION PERAK
18. Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
19. Center for Orang Asli Concerns
20. Challenges Foundation
21. Childline Foundation
22. Community Development Centre (CDC)
23. CRIB Foundation
24. Crisis Relief Services and Training (CREST) Malaysia
25. Dapur Jalanan Kuala Lumpur
26. Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA), Malaysia
27. Dignity for Children Foundation
28. Eliminating Deaths And Abuse In Custody Together (EDICT)
29. EMPOWER
30. ENGAGE
31. Faith Free Market
32. Faithworks
33. Family Wellness Club, Ipoh, Perak
34. FIMA Advisory Council
35. Food Aid Foundation
36. Foreign Spouses Support Group
37. Gerak Malaysia
38. Global Shepherds
39. Good Shepherd Services
40. Health Equity Initiatives
41. HISTEAM 7979 Network
42. HPR Hope for Pakistani Refugees
43. Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE)
44. Islamic Medical Association Malaysia (IMAM)
45. Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS)
46. Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT)
47. Kajang Pastors Fellowship (KPF) Foodbank
48. Kechara Soup Kitchen Society
49. Kelab Rekreasi Pengasuh Malaysia (KRPM)
50. Kelab Sastera Mahasiswa UMS (KARMA)
51. #KitaJagaKita
52. Kiwanis Club of Damansara
53. Kiwanis Club of Tambun
54. KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
55. KL Urban Fellowship
56. KRYSS Network
57. KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific
58. The Lost Food Project
59. Majlis Belia Malaysia
60. Majlis Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak Malaysia (MKKM)
61. Malaysian CARE
62. Malaysia Christian for Justice
63. Malaysian CSO SDG Alliance
64. Malaysian Dravidian Association
65. Malaysia Hindu Sangam Perak State
66. Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI)
67. Methodist Crisis Relief and Development (MCRD)
68. Muhibbah Food Bank Malaysia Society
69. Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)
70. Need to Feed the Need (NFN)
71. NGOhub
72. Onward Consulting
73. Our Journey
74. Palestinian Refugee Community
75. Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS Trust)
76. Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)
77. Pertubuhan Bantuan Teknikal Insaf Malaysia
78. Persatuan Kebajikan Gemilang Johor Bahru
79. Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia
80. Persatuan Pendidikan Bajau Laut (Iskul Sama DiLaut Omadal)
81. Persatuan Pengasuh Berdaftar Malaysia
82. Persatuan Prihatin Komuniti Johor Bahru
83. Persatuan Sahabat Wanita (PWS) Selangor
84. Persatuan WeCareJourney
85. PERTIWI
86. Pertubuhan HOPE Selangor
87. Pertubuhan Kebajikan Amal En Xin Negeri Sembilan
88. Persatuan Kebajikan Biji Sawi (Mustard Seed Soup Kitchen)
89. Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan dan Persekitaran Positif Malaysia (SEED)
90. Pertubuhan Pembangunan dan Kemajuan Sekolah Tamil Malaysia (PPST)
91. Pertubuhan Pengurusan Pusat Jagaan 1 Malaysia
92. Pertubuhan Rangkaian Pembangunan Kesinambungan Malaysia (SUSDEN Malaysia)
93. Pertubuhan Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia
94. Pertubuhan Solidaritas
95. Pertubuhan Sukarelawan Harapan Malaysia (MOVE MALAYSIA)
96. Pertubuhan Titian Digital Malaysia (PTDM)
97. Pertubuhan Wadah Siswazah Islah Malaysia WASILAH
98. Philandure
99. Projek57
100. Projek Wawasan Rakyat (POWR)
101. The Pit Stop Community Cafe
102. PT Foundation
103. Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Epileptik Klang
104. Pusat KOMAS
105. Refuge for the Refugees
106. Ruang Kongsi
107. Ruth Education Centre
108. Salam Relief
109. The Salvation Army
110. Samaritan Hope
111. Sandakan Muslim Volunteer (MUST)
112. SAWO
113. Soroptimist International Kota Kinabalu
114. SUARAM
115. Suara Mahasiswa UMS
116. Tanma Federation
117. Telugu Association of Malaysia
118. Tenaganita
119. Toy Libraries Malaysia
120. Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES)
121. World Vision Malaysia
122. WWF-Malaysia
123. Yayasan Amal ASAS
124. Yayasan Chow Kit
125. Yayasan Generasi Gemilang
126. Yayasan Foodbank Malaysia
127. Yayasan Kajian dan Pembangunan Masyarakat
