KUALA LUMPUR: Civil societies in Malaysia are hoping to be given an opportunity to meet Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to present their views on how best to move forward and serve the people, following the latest political developments.
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The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were institutions with eyes and ears on the ground, very much connected to the people in understanding their sufferings and concerns.
“During the past few days, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has been meeting politicians, both from the government and the opposition, to get their feedback on the current pandemic as well as the national situation.
“Certainly, each party has their point of view on the situation faced by the rakyat as well as what needs to be done on the way forward to address these issues. Based their ideologies as well as their respective party’s position, the politicians would have articulated some very useful views to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he said in a statement today.
However, much too often there is a huge gap between the reality on the ground and what politicians view as the situation and sufferings of the people, which civil societies would be able to fill, he said.
He said Fomca, for instance, has constantly and consistently voiced the plight of consumers, in terms of their household financial issues, cost of living issues, quality of life as well as their frustrations over the slow rollout of vaccinations.
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“We have also consistently voiced our views on the severe negative impact of the pandemic on the livelihoods and the quality of life of the rakyat.
“We have expressed our concerns over job and income losses of many workers and the slow economic recovery and further, the reduction on foreign investments which would have a severe negative impact on the current and future workforce.”
He said it has also highlighted the plight of families who were facing difficulties in repaying their bank loans due to severe income loss.
Over-optimism on the so-called “targeted approach” would mean that the people continued to suffer despite the official positive public statements, he said.
Similarly, he said other NGOs serving different groups such as workers, women, low-income individuals and families, disabled groups and other vulnerable groups would be able to better present their situation and the way forward for the best interests of the groups they serve.
“The NGOs are the closest to the rakyat; they better understand their needs and concerns and maybe better on how best to move forward to overcome the challenges of the rakyat and enhance their wellbeing.”-NST