There must be a better way to alleviate poverty

By : Johan Jaaffar

IT is a familiar sight at most eateries in the city. There will be people with every trick in the book coming to your table asking for money. Some have perfected the art of begging — it is almost impossible not to give. Some would call it harassment of a charitable kind, others find it simply a menace while many would welcome these people as an excuse to give away their hard-earned money.
After all, what is RM1 when the price of a fried ikan kembung is as much as RM6 in many eateries. But the problem is, they keep coming back. Begging is a vocation replete with techniques, rules and artistry.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against unfortunate people who live in abject poverty. I have worked with many non-governmental organisations to alleviate the misery of the poor. However, the hardcore poor still exists among us. At least six per cent of our people who actually live from hand to mouth. In fact, the prime minister has made it his obsession to address the issue. We must not hand poverty to the next generation, he told the Umno general assembly not long ago.

But there is more to it than just begging. What I saw and found out irked me. Begging is big business for its “promoters". Back in the early 1990s, the paper I edited investigated a syndicate running a begging scheme. They had vans sending these people to various locations in the city — bus stations, major thoroughfares, shopping complexes and markets. Many of the beggars were foreign mothers with small children. They were placed at strategic locations and were made to look destitute. The monies collected — which were substantial — did not benefit the beggars.

Beggars and promoters exploit the good side of Malaysians. We are just too charitable. And we easily fall prey to such scams. Many of these so-called beggars do not deserve to be on the streets. Many of them are healthy, even those who are disabled should resort to other ways of making a living. No, they don’t want help, they just want it easy.
There was a frail old woman who used to frequent my favourite watering hole in Bangsar. She was almost 70. She was selling kuih bahulu and batang buruk for RM10 a plastic bag. She could have begged but she chose to earn her money. There are many street performers making their rounds in Kampung Baru. These will sing you a song for a ringgit or two. Busking is the only way, probably, to see them through college or simply to survive in the city. There was a blind man who carried a sign that said, “Pak Ali Bekam". The art of extracting “dirty blood” from the body is an age-old tradition. Pak Ali earns about RM30 a day performing his Dracula-like ritual. He could have begged.

There is no reason to beg in this country, full stop. For Muslims, there are just too many of the state-managed institutions to take care of the poor. Every Muslim has to pay zakat every Hari Raya. The proceeds are meant for the poor. Of course, sometimes I wonder where the money goes to considering there is still poverty among Muslims in this country.

The government, too, has undertaken various schemes to help the poor. Yet, from time to time, the press highlights how the poor survive in atrocious living conditions. I blame the welfare officers and wakil rakyat for their oversight in such cases. And, of course, the leakages in the delivery system.

This is a land of plenty. No, I don’t mean everyone is fortunate enough to berbuka puasa at five-star hotels most of the time, drive expensive cars or have second homes in faraway lands. No one is born equal. But there is enough for everyone to ensure there is food on the table, their children can go to school and to pay bills. Of course, there are the rich and famous living in their enclaves replete with an army of maids and helpers.

On the other hand, there are the flat and squatter dwellers. And many among us have to work hard to earn a decent living. True, being charitable is one of our positive attributes. But we must look at the bigger picture in managing the beggar menace. You can’t change anyone’s life by giving out RM1.

I am impressed by the many charitable works done by various quarters. There are philanthropists who give out billions to charity. There are also ordinary people who have done wonderful things to mankind. I saw on Oprah recently how a cheque of US$1 million (RM3.6 million) donated by legendary rock star Jon Bon Jovi had helped families devastated by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to rebuild their lives. There was the story of John Wood who made himself rich working for Microsoft. In 1998 while visiting Nepal he saw how children were deprived of books. He left the company to set up Room to Read, a non-profit organisation that promotes books and literacy in many Third World countries. After all, education is an escape hatch from hopelessness and despair.

There are many who were inspired by the sight of poverty and destitution.

They did something about it. The worry is, we are largely ignoring the plight of the poor. There is another world out there away from the bright lights, the glamour, and the affluence. It is solely guilt that propels us to give money to those who beg. By condoning begging, we can’t help the beggars in the long run.

There must be a better way to solve poverty. There must be a strategy to eradicate poverty once and for all.