Sokongan NGO kepada komuniti rentan seharusnya dibenarkan beroperasi (Malay/English)

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) dan Engage, rakan penganjur projek #MakanKongsi yang menyediakan baucar makan percuma kepada komuniti rentan, menyeru Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk mempertimbangkan bantuan dan sokongan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil kepada komuniti rentan sebagai perkhidmatan perlu.

Kami menyokong seruan lebih 120 pertubuhan masyarakat sivil pada 28 Mac bahawa mereka yang terlibat dalam bantuan makanan dan sokongan harian kepada komuniti rentan perlu diberi kebenaran untuk meneruskan operasi.

Mereka perlu dibenarkan untuk bergerak tanpa perlu ada sekatan dan gangguan daripada agensi penguatkuasa supaya sempat memberi khidmat mereka kepada komuniti yang memerlukan dalam tempoh krisis ini.

Dalam tempoh perintah kawalan pergerakan yang dipanjankan kepada 14 April 2020, banyak individu dan komuniti berhadapan dengan kesukaran tanpa pekerjaan dan pendapatan selama sebulan.

Perkara ini diterukkan lagi dengan kawalan pergerakan dan kemungkinan perintah dikuatkan lagi di beberapa kawasan untuk hari yang mendatang sebagaimana yang berlaku di Kampung Dato’ Ibrahim Majid dan Bandar Baru Dato’ Ibrahim Majid di Simpang Renggam, Johor, pada 27 Mac, yang menjadikan mereka sukar untuk mendapatkan bantuan dan sokongan yang mereka terima sewaktu tempoh biasa.

Kami berasa risau bahawa akses untuk menyokong dan membantu komuniti rentan ini akan disekat sepenuhnya berikutan kenyataan menteri pertahanan Ismail Sabri pada 28 Mac yang meminta pertubuhan masyarakat sivil berhenti memberikan bantuan dan sokongan secara langsung kepada komuniti rentan, dan menghantarnya kepada Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat daerah, di mana pegawai Rela dan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia akan mengedarkannya dari rumah ke rumah.

Pertubuhan masyarakat sivil yang menyokong komuniti rentan seperti rakyat jalanan, ibu tunggal, Orang Asli dan Orang Asal, pelarian, pekerja migran yang tidak berdokumen, telah membantu mereka selama bertahun-tahun dan tahu di mana kelompok ini berada serta telah mendapat kepercayaan daripada mereka.

Pertubuhan masyarakat sivil akan lebih cepat memberi perkhidmatan kepada mereka dalam tempoh yang tepat berbanding membazirkan masa dengan prosedur birokratik untuk menghantarnya kepada pegawai Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, Rela dan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia.

Komuniti rentan ini juga berasa takut dengan pegawai penguatkuasa undang-undang yang telah mengambil tindakan terhadap mereka sebelum ini. Ini akan mengakibatkan komuniti rentan ini menyembunyikan diri daripada pegawai penguatkuasa dan menyebabkan kegagalan penghantaran bantuan dan sokongan yang mereka sangat perlukan.

Bersih 2.0 dan Engage justeru menggesa kerajaan untuk mempertimbangkan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil sebagai rakan penting dalam perlawanan menentang koronavirus serta menganggap sokongan dan bantuan kepada komuniti rentan semasa perintah kawalan pergerakan adalah sebahagian daripada perkhidmatan perlu.

Kami yakin bahawa pertubuhan masyarakat sivil akan mematuhi prinsip dan garis panduan daripada Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia semasa operasi mereka, bahkan akan membantu kementerian tersebut untuk menyebarkan maklumat penting bagi mencegah koronavirus kepada komuniti rentan ini.

Bagi membolehkan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil meneruskan perkhidmatan kepada komuniti ini, kami mencadangkan:

• Keizinan pergerakan kepada pertubuhan masyarakat sivil semasa perintah kawalan pergerakan perlu diberikan selagi pertubuhan masyarakat sivil memaklumkan Majlis Keselamatan Negara secara rasmi melalui inisiatif dan perkhidmatan mereka kepada komuniti rentan secara bertulis
• Majlis Keselamatan Negara perlu memaklumkan dan kerap mengemaskini senarai pertubuhan masyarakat sivil yang memberi bantuan kepada komuniti rentan kepada agensi penguatkuasaan undang-undang
• Senarai ini perlu dibuat secara umum di laman web Jabatan Perdana Menteri bagi tujuan pengesahan sekiranya timbul sebarang isu

Polisi sebegini akan memboleh pertubuhan masyarakat sivil meneruskan operasi mereka di akar umbi dengan lancar dan menyokong kerajaan bagi memastikan bahawa tidak ada kelompok yang tertinggal semasa tempoh perintah kawalan pergerekan.

Ianya juga akan mengelakkan sebarang salah faham dan insiden yang tidak dimahukan antara pegawai penguatkuasa serta pekerja dan sukarelawan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil.

Jawatankuasa pemandu Bersih 2.0 dan Engage

English version

Movement control order: NGOs’ support work among vulnerable communities should be allowed to continue

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) and Engage, co-organisers of the #MakanKongsi project, which provides free food vouchers to vulnerable communities, call on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to consider civil society organisations’ aid and support to vulnerable communities as essential services.  

We support the call of over 120 civil society organizations on 28 March that NGOs involved in food relief and daily support for vulnerable communities should be allowed to continue their operations.

They should be allowed to travel without hindrance or harassment from law enforcement agencies for them to deliver their services in a timely manner to the communities in need in this time of crisis.

With the movement control order extended to 14 April 2020, many individuals and communities are facing hardship without jobs and incomes for a whole month.

This is further compounded by the restriction of movements under the order and the possibility of the order being further enhanced in many areas in the coming days following the imposition of such an order in Kampung Dato’ Ibrahim Majid and Bandar Baru Dato’ Ibrahim Majid in Simpang Renggam, Johor on March 27. This makes it difficult for vulnerable groups to get the help and support they used to have access to during normal times.

We are concerned that the access to support and aid by vulnerable communities will be completely cut off following the Defence Minister Sabri Ismail’s statement on 28 March requesting civil society organisations to stop delivering their support and aid directly to the vulnerable communities and instead send it to the Social Welfare Department in the local districts, where by Rela and National Civil Defence personnel will carry out house-to-house distribution.

Civil society organisations supporting these vulnerable communities – such as homeless people, single mothers, Orang Asli and Orang Asal, refugees, undocumented migrant workers, etc – have been working with them for many years. As such, know exactly where they are and have gained their trust.

Civil society organisations would be able to deliver these services to them in a timely manner instead of losing time on bureaucratic procedures in handing aid over to Social Welfare Department, Rela and National Civil Defence personnel.  

These vulnerable communities may also be fearful of law enforcement officers who have taken action against them in the past. This may result in these vulnerable communities shunning law enforcement officers, leading to unsuccessful delivery of aid and support that they urgently need.

Bersih 2.0 and Engage therefore urge the government to consider civil society organisations as important partners in the fight against the coronavirus and to regard the support and aid to vulnerable communities during the movement control order as essential services.

We strongly believe these civil society organisations will not only adhere to the principles and guidelines of the Ministry of Health in their operation but also assist the ministry in imparting the necessary knowledge of preventing Covid-19 among these vulnerable communities.

To enable civil society organisations to continue to extend essential services to these vulnerable communities in a timely manner, we recommend that:

• permission to travel for these civil society organisations during the movement control order should be granted as long as these groups officially notify the National Security Council in writing of their initiatives and services to the vulnerable communities
• The National Security Council should notify and update regularly all the law enforcement agencies with the list of these civil society organisations that are delivering services to vulnerable communities
• The list may be made public on the website of the Prime Minister’s Department for verification purposes in case of any dispute 

Such a policy would enable civil society organisations to run their operations on the ground smoothly and support the government in making sure that no one is left behind during this movement control order period.

It would prevent any misunderstanding or untoward incidents between law enforcement officers and civil society organisation workers and volunteers.

Bersih and Engage steering committtees

29 March 2020

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

1. Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
2. Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
3. Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
4. Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
5. Lawan rasuah dan kronisme

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