RESIDENTS in Kuala Lumpur have complained they were left to starve after being placed under the enhanced movement control order (MCO), as food aid only arrived a few days after the lockdown.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara acknowledged the issue, saying there were problems in the distribution of aid in the early days of the enhanced movement control order in the capital.

“There were challenges in the first two days as we had to do the (Covid-19 test) swabbing and get their names. We could only send in the (food and essential) items after the registration and swabbing,” he was quoted by Malaysiakini.

The deputy minister said Putrajaya officials also had to deal with the possible psychological issues affecting the community.

“Some people were quite aggressive at the beginning, so we had to calm them down. We could not move in straight away as we did not want unwanted incidents,” he told the news portal.

He pointed out that most Malaysian homes had a food stockpile of between one and two weeks.

Santhara said, besides giving rations, welfare officers also sent in medicine, milk formula and cooking gas to the families who requested the items.

Putarajaya has placed Menara City One, Malayan Mansion, Selangor Mansion and the vicinity surrounding Kuala Lumpur wholesale market under an enhanced MCO.

Some 20,000 migrant workers and refugees reside in these areas.

Santhara said the government directly provides the people with dry supplies only and people will have to take turns to receive the additional items donated by charities, corporate bodies and lawmakers.

He said Putrajaya now puts a sticker on the packaging of these supplies, so people will know the source.

Santhara called on human rights groups to help Putrajaya by raising funds for Rohingya refugees during the MCO and post-MCO era. – May 2, 2020.