[SHARE] How One Facebook Post Is Changing The Way Malaysians Think About The Homeless

A controversial statement made by the Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan about the banning of soup kitchens in Kuala Lumpur sparked outrage amongst many Malaysians

On the same day, lawyer and fellow Malaysian Izzati Rahman, updated her Facebook status in response to Tengku Adnan's announcement.

She explained of her time volunteering in a soup kitchen since she was 16. She has never been paid for preparing, packing, and distributing food.

Contrary to popular belief, Izzati reminds that the homeless are not just people without homes - many of them are small income workers, single mothers and neglected senior citizens living in poverty

"We do not discriminate, we feed because they are hungry and because getting food is a problem for them".

What about the jobs Putrajaya offers to the homeless? "Now Dato', I am pretty sure you have never gone down to the streets to volunteer, so let me give you a little introduction."

What about free food breeding homelessness according to Tengku Adnan? Izzati says we might as well ban free food for buka puasa at mosques and lavish open houses too!

Tengku Adnan's lament that soup kitchens cause garbage infested scenes were debunked by her as well. Izzati draws comparison with pasar malam filth. Izzati 5, Tengku Adnan 0.

"Why is the rakyat so unhappy with this ban?" Izzati ends her status with a reminder to the minister to tackle the root of the problem rather than the social issues that are a result of the problem

Many Malaysians have shared this status across social media and agree with her sentiment

Izzati's post has been shared over 12,000 times and liked by 17,000 people in less than a day

What do you think about Tengku Adnan's move? Do you have stories to share? Email us at [email protected] or drop us a message on Facebook

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