400 MILLION INDIANS LIVES BELOW POVERTY LEVEL

Poverty
– Reuters picture, NSTP, August 30, 2004.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING MILLIONS FOR ELABORATED MERDEKA CELEBRATION? PLEASE PONDER!

Priyanka, three, an Indian slum girl, breaking stones next to her siblings on the banks of the Mahananda river in the Indian city of Slilguri yesterday. Priyanka earns 20 rupees (RM1.80) a day. Over 400 million Indians live below the international agreed poverty line: living on less than US$1 (RM3.80) a day. It is estimated several hundred thousand children works as laborers and beg on India’s streets.

While we spent millions to celebrate Merdeka ON 31st. August each year, in rememberance of the day we achieved our independence, over the other side of the world, hundreds of thousands in India are begging on the streets and millions more in Africa and North Korea are starving.

Back home, tens of thousands in the kampung are struggling to earn a few ringgit to keep themselves and their children alive and maybe, to sent them to schools in less than adequate conditions, while UMNO will be spending hundreds of millions in preparation for the General Assembly in September. The same goes to MCA too.

Over the last few days, The Star and NST had front-page captions & photos of "Patriotic Spirit Acts" such as the Jalur Gemilang-dressed bullock cart (that cost $2,000 to dressed-up) and a picture of a diver decked with mini Jalur Gemilang feeding a stingray at the Underwater World Langkawi on Saturday which the manager claims as'This is an ideal way of showing our love for the country - the underwater style.'

Is this what Patriotism is about? Wouldn't we consider it to be patriotic if we use the monies spent on this publicity to acquire food and basic necessities such as school bags, books & school uniform and distribute them to the poors in the kampung during this Merdeka, to show how much we care for our less fortunate people, and where possible, to contribute to the poors in India, Africa and North Korea? These apart, there are also many in urban areas that are also struggling to survive; lest we forget the Kampung Medan incident.

Would the government consider that future merdeka day celebration be centered on helping the poor? Then, it would be a truthful and meaningful Merdeka day - a day a year where we spent time with the poor, the least we could do!!!!!