THERE are so much of objections being shared on social media and at kopitiams over Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s humanitarian gesture involving some 40 injured Palestinians.
Any good deed done by a nation – irrespective of how much, how big, or how small – will always go down well in the pages of humanitarianism.
It is principally wrong to argue: “Why airlift victims of war-torn Gaza when our own citizens are not getting adequate medical facilities?”
Trying to posit that our prime minister is gunning to be a Muslim world-recognised Samaritan is also childish if not too presumptuous or hints of malicious intent.
What we must demand is that our degree and capacity of care and compassion must also be matched with efficiency, effectiveness, and decisiveness when it comes to ensuring that the country is free of the burdens of undocumented, illegal and stowaway foreigners.
Until today, after decades of discussing undocumented foreigners in the country, we still cannot put a convincing finger on the actual numbers, can we?
The authorities publish one figure while civil societies and citizens claim it is two to four times more.
What’s frustrating is that despite so many news reports of raids, arrests and detentions, the presence of undocumented foreigners in the country continues to haunt our efforts to build a fair, progressive, harmonious, and industrious country for citizens here.
Hopefully, the Madani-inspired government will successfully clean up our country and free it from the tentacles of profiteering, greedy cartels, groups and individuals who are behind this decades-old gravy train of illicit labour exploitations and our sheer lack of enforcement. – August 22, 2024
J.D. Lovrenciear, an Aliran member, is a KL-based writer, trainer and consultant, who also offers his time to support initiatives to build a progressive society