It appears that Rosmah Mansor has a more in-depth understanding on the issue of homelessness and the need for soup kitchens compared to Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who accused them of promoting laziness.
The prime minister's wife had shared her views on this issue when officiating the Kechara Soup Kitchen in Jalan Imbi in 2011.
And Kechara Soup Kitchen has become the first to comply with the new directive as Tengku Adnan embarks on his task of ridding the nation’s capital of beggars and homeless people.
Contacted by Malaysiakini today, Kechara project director Justin Cheah said: “We are not closing down our operations per se. We will not distribute food in the 2km radius stipulated by the minister.”
However, he added that Kechara would continue to distribute food outside this zone.
Presently, Cheah said food is distributed from 11am to 1pm in front of their centre, which falls in the 2km designated area.
"This service will stop. But we will continue in other areas," he added.
Cheah, who had disagreed with the claim that soup kitchens promoted laziness, also said that he would be meeting Tengku Adnan to get more details on this new restriction.
During the ceremony in 2011, Rosmah had called for more collaborative efforts between the government and NGOs to tackle homelessness in the nation.
In a Bernama report then, she said a more strategic and proactive approach was needed to handle the problem rather than short-term solutions that would be costly in the long-run.
"I hope that scholars and professionals could come forward and collaborate with the government and relevant NGOs to conduct a study to provide appropriate solutions," she added.
Rosmah also noted that homelessness can be related to a number of issues.
"Homelessness can be the result of either personal failing or situations beyond control of a person for example poverty, lack of affordable housing, domestic abuse and mental illness," she added.
Also present at the event was then women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
The prime minister's wife had shared her views on this issue when officiating the Kechara Soup Kitchen in Jalan Imbi in 2011.
And Kechara Soup Kitchen has become the first to comply with the new directive as Tengku Adnan embarks on his task of ridding the nation’s capital of beggars and homeless people.
Contacted by Malaysiakini today, Kechara project director Justin Cheah said: “We are not closing down our operations per se. We will not distribute food in the 2km radius stipulated by the minister.”
However, he added that Kechara would continue to distribute food outside this zone.
Presently, Cheah said food is distributed from 11am to 1pm in front of their centre, which falls in the 2km designated area.
"This service will stop. But we will continue in other areas," he added.
Cheah, who had disagreed with the claim that soup kitchens promoted laziness, also said that he would be meeting Tengku Adnan to get more details on this new restriction.
During the ceremony in 2011, Rosmah had called for more collaborative efforts between the government and NGOs to tackle homelessness in the nation.
In a Bernama report then, she said a more strategic and proactive approach was needed to handle the problem rather than short-term solutions that would be costly in the long-run.
"I hope that scholars and professionals could come forward and collaborate with the government and relevant NGOs to conduct a study to provide appropriate solutions," she added.
Rosmah also noted that homelessness can be related to a number of issues.
"Homelessness can be the result of either personal failing or situations beyond control of a person for example poverty, lack of affordable housing, domestic abuse and mental illness," she added.
Also present at the event was then women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
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