YOURSAY | Anwar prioritising others over own people

YOURSAY | ‘This is making some Malaysians feel agitated, angry, frustrated and desperate.’

COMMENT | Mr Prime Minister, acts of kindness begin at home

Koel: How much does it cost Malaysian taxpayers when the government uses military planes to fly these injured people more than 7,000km through dangerous territory?

Who were these 127 people selected and on what basis were they chosen to fly this distance?

Are there Hamas operatives and families seeking to hide out here?

Are we going to pay for this in the future? Where exactly are they being treated?

How are they getting treated in a country where people have to wait months and even years to get crucial procedures and surgery?

We need transparency on this so that ordinary Malaysians can enjoy this privilege.

A family member waited four years for a heart procedure. Even then, they did a poor job.

Are these Palestinians getting some kind of preference over such Malaysians with terminal problems?

We need answers to some simple questions because an irresponsible government appears to have sidelined the needs of a country that is bleeding economically, socially, educationally, and in every way to play heroes in the international arena.

This is not nobility. It is rank hypocrisy and absolute disdain for simple, ordinary taxpayers of this country.

Knucklehead @Koel: It’s time for the MPs to ask these tough questions in Parliament. How much has Malaysia spent on Palestinians over the last year in terms of donations, education, and mercy flights? There is a long list of expenditures.

The figure will be staggering. I bet non-Malays don’t get that much allocation in an entire year.

OCT: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has betrayed and made most Malaysians angry with his latest kind gesture and generosity towards the Palestinians.

Middle Eastern countries have better medical facilities and more wealth than Malaysia, but they kept a neutral stand towards the Palestinians.

The governments of these countries prioritise their citizens’ needs over the Palestinians.

Anwar tries very hard to be recognised as the champion of Palestinians but, in reality, he is barely mentioned in the Middle East.

Worse still, Anwar has never been invited to be part of any negotiation team for ceasefire and peace talks between Palestinians and Israel.

The wounded Palestinians are now housed at the Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. This hospital is not even open to Malaysians seeking treatment.

There are so many issues for him to tackle in the country, but Anwar has spent more time, resources and personnel on helping Palestinians.

This is making some Malaysians feel agitated, angry, frustrated and desperate.

Bluemountains: Government servants and pensioners are supposed to receive free medical benefits as per their service contracts.

But they are now required to pay for some medicines and medical services which are no longer provided free due to lack of funds.

However, the government does not seem to have a problem finding the money to fly in injured foreigners, and their families, for medical treatment at a local government hospital.

This is called prioritising others over your people.

PurpleKijang9104: Is there any logic in Anwar’s sense of duty for the nation? The injured appear to be few but the families following are a greater number.

Perhaps Anwar is giving them a sightseeing trip to Malaysia. Are they going to stay put in Malaysia for good?

Reset: Malaysia is known for our compassion (as many charity organisations in the country) and the move to transfer the needs for medical care in Malaysia should not be viewed as a misguided priority.

There is already a lot of help rendered to the poor within the country.

We will need to acknowledge that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and even those being transferred from the hospital in Egypt have gone through difficult means to get treatment there.

Living in Malaysia is heaven in comparison to what is going on in Gaza.

Innocent Gaza victims should not be penalised because of Hamas-triggered oppression from Israel.

In Malaysia, our public medical treatment is almost free and accessible to many (despite long queues and crowds) but to be fair, Anwar and the government have expanded the medical budget.

Thus, unless there are too many patients being transferred to Malaysia or suspected militants (which is unlikely as they won’t be able to get out of Gaza), this should be viewed as a noble deed by Malaysians as part of a humanitarian effort.

Some may claim that this is a publicity stunt.

If that is the case, then it is a good one as it puts more pressure on the wealthy Arab countries to do more. Regardless of our race and religion, we should not be ignorant of the sufferings of Palestinians in Gaza.

BlackTiger9012: I feel sorry for the rather contorted understanding of empathy and charity, based on this topsy-turvy sense of under which circumstances one can be charitable and empathetic.

It means we are writing off the whole notion of being humane toward others if not all of us are well taken care of.

Dummies Dhimmi: It’s no act of kindness. It’s cheap showboating. Simply to say you are the first and get the spotlight on you.

We voted for you because we believed you when you said you would fix the many things that are broken in the country.

You reacted faster to the Hamas plight than keeping your promises.

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