CAP: Stop seeking publicity for aid given to the needy during Ramadan

GEORGE TOWN: Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) called on Muslim organisations, ministers, politicians and community leaders to stop seeking publicity for distribution of aid to needy Muslims during Ramadan.
Its president, S. M. Mohamed Idris, said that it had become a recent practice to publicise widely the aid given to the poor and needy for Aidilfitri celebration.
While the initiative taken by the organisers to help the needy was highly appreciated, Idris advised that it should be done without publicity as it is demeaning for the aid recipients to have their poverty status broadcast to the public at large.
"The poor should not be treated as objects of charity to get publicity and improve the image of organisations and their leaders. Allah commands Muslims to practice charity, and it would be better to 'conceal it and pay it to the needy in secret'," he said in a statement here today.
He also believed that it would be more rewarding for the charity givers to deliver aid by visiting the needy at their homes as they would have a better understanding of their living condition and enabling them to find ways to lift the unfortunate ones out of poverty.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Idris also expressed hope that Malaysians would not waste food during the festive season.
He said Malaysians often prepare more food than what was necessary to avoid being perceived as stingy or inhospitable by their guests.
"Due to such practice, a lot of food often goes to waste and ends up in landfills, which not only have a negative impact to the environment, but also contributing to an increase in price of food due to the increased demand of food purchases," he added. — Bernama