PM Anwar Ibrahim's kind-hearted offer to bring over sick and injured Palestinians (mainly women and children) from Gaza for medical treatment here seemed to have sparked a flurry of questions!
In a passionate speech delivered at a pro-Palestinian rally in Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil last Sunday (Aug 4), PM Anwar stressed that Malaysia will press on with its humanitarian efforts to support the Palestinians, guided by the universal principle of justice.
PMX added that he had contacted several international leaders, including the heads of state of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to secure aid for those suffering in Gaza; he also asserted that he will not succumb to Western opinions on whom to support and that he will continue to uphold Hamas' role in the struggle for a free Palestine.
While PM Anwar's offer may have been well-meant and was restricted to afflicted women and children, it has nonetheless raised a lot of questions - as well as doubts - about the feasibility of the proposed move given the current dire economic situation in the country.
Understandably, there is already a fear over the lack of proper healthcare facilities for many citizens in the rural and remote areas in this country; as such, shouldn't out priority be to extend proper medical assistance to our more deserving local citizens in those areas first?
Another genuine fear is that our public health services may already be overstretched with alleged shortages of specialists, doctors and nurses in many of our local government hospitals; therefore, shouldn't we be providing “quality healthcare” for our own citizens first before providing for outsiders?
Interestingly, there is a well-known saying that “charity begins at home”; as such, the pertinent question here will be: who exactly will be footing the hefty bill for all the medical treatments for the poor, sick and injured Palestinians? Moreover, isn't Malaysia's current national debt already in the region of RM1.5 trillion?
To add to that, lately some subsidies have also been withdrawn while there is a fear that taxes may be increased - further squeezing the rakyat financially; however, paradoxically, there are allegedly Palestinian students studying for free at public universities in this country?
Meanwhile, there are also question marks over the viability of transporting injured Palestinians by air all the way from the Middle East to Malaysia; is it really feasible, especially in light of all the time, cost and logistical constraints?
Another important point to take note is that Gaza is surrounded by some of the wealthiest Arab nations in the world, all equipped with highly advanced medical facilities and staffed by top-notch expat doctors and nursing teams; so rightfully (and morally), shouldn't these rich fellow-Muslim countries also be opening their doors to their sick and injured Palestinian neighbours for urgent medical treatment?
On the other hand, a logical solution would be to set up dedicated medical stations (tents) in Gaza itself staffed by Malaysian volunteers so that whatever critical medical assistance needed could be extended to the injured there—on the spot!
Whatever it is, regardless of what detractors may say, there is no doubt that PM Anwar is truly sincere in his desire to help the suffering souls in Gaza and the West Bank; and he seems determined to prove it not just by words - but by firm action as well.
Interestingly, by doing that he may also have inadvertently "stolen the thunder" from PAS and his nemesis, Dr Mahathir, by shrewdly neutralising and denying them the coveted bragging rights for being the “undisputed champion” of the Palestinians in this country!
Information sources: The Star and Malaysiakini
JK Joseph is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
