Aid requests no longer from just the poor
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JOHAN Halid’s group fed the poor during the movement-control order (MCO) but as the country moves into the recovery phase, he is getting aid requests from middle-class families.
These households have depleted their savings since movement curbs to stem the spread of Covid-19 took effect on March 18, the Sahabat Jariah Malaysia chairman told The Malaysian Insight.
They are seeing salary cuts or forced to go on unpaid leave, and are still unable to earn a stable income.
“These are people who worked at cafes that have yet to reopen or at hair salons. Because their employers didn’t earn anything in the last three months, they, too, can’t get paid.
Since the start of the MCO, Sahabat Jariah Malaysia has been distributing rice, oil and flour to low-income families across the country.
The group’s experience mirrors that of other civil society organisations at the forefront of providing food and financial aid to vulnerable groups when the MCO shut down most of the economy.
On May 12, Putrajaya eased restrictions under the conditional MCO (CMCO) but businesses such as open-air markets, which employ many B40 folk and migrants, were not allowed to open.
On Wednesday, the government said almost all economic sectors, save for a handful like entertainment outlets, can resume operations.
Though it sounds like good news to those keen to work again, interviews with civil groups, including Sabahat Jariah Malaysia, show this is not the case.
Even more worrying is that as the country enters the recovery phase, donations are starting to dry up, as contributors believe that people can easily return to work.
Heidy Quah, who is part of a coalition of four civil groups, said this week saw fresh requests for aid pouring in from refugee and migrant communities.
“More and more people are out of jobs as there are many businesses that have closed down,” said the Refugee for Refugees founder.
“Because of the fear surrounding migrants and refugees, and the stigma that they are virus carriers, they have trouble finding jobs.”
As the recovery phase of the MCO is just beginning, she said, those who have secured new jobs are still not paid yet and they need aid while waiting for their salaries.
Refugee for Refugees is working with Tenaganita, Dapur Jalanan Kuala Lumpur and Liga Rakyat Demokratik to feed migrant workers, refugees, displaced persons and the urban poor hit hard by the pandemic.
As of June 1, these groups have distributed food packets to about 45,000 beneficiaries in 931 locations across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
More than 80.5% of the recipients were refugees and asylum seekers, migrants (15.5%) and low-income Malaysian families (4%).
Donations drying up
Even with the recovery MCO, Putrajaya expects the jobless rate for the rest of the year to hit 5.5%, or 860,000, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.
Employer groups and business associations, however, have put the figure at between two million and 2.4 million, with most in low-skill categories.
Tenaganita executive director Glorene A. Das said undocumented migrants, who take up many of the low-paying jobs that Malaysians tend to avoid, fear coming out to work again.
During the CMCO and in some areas where the enhanced MCO was imposed, undocumented migrants were arrested in Immigration Department raids.
“When the Health Ministry went to construction sites to test workers for Covid-19, some ran into the jungle when they saw immigration officers with the health workers,” said Glorene.
“So, we are still getting requests for aid from migrants who are too scared to come out to work because they fear arrest. Some have also asked us for rent relief after they received eviction notices.”
Besides providing aid, Tenaganita has rescued one domestic worker per week over the last 10 weeks from abusive employers in the Klang Valley, Kedah, Malacca and Negri Sembilan.
Johan said Sahabat Jariah Malaysia has had to cut down on the amount of food in its aid packages as donations are decreasing.
“Instead of giving 10kg of rice, we’ve halved the amount. Cooking oil and flour are also reduced,” he said, adding that about 20% of recipients are Orang Asli living in remote areas.
Quah said the coalition of four groups is seeing the same thing.
“Interest is dwindling, and there is some donor fatigue.”
Johan said the perception is that people will be able to find employment again, given that the government is reopening the economy.
“But our experience is that we’re getting more requests for help each day.” – June 13, 2020.