YOUTH leaders from the opposition today steered clear of the white flag campaign, saying it was purely a public initiative without their involvement.

They, however, urged Putrajaya to pay attention as this reflected the public’s anger towards the government for failing to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic and lifting the economy.

In a live Facebook discussion with “Tamat Darurat” (end emergency) committee chairman Khalid Samad this morning, Amanah National Youth chief Shazni Munir Ithnin said the campaign is to highlight Putrajaya’s failures and also to help needy Malaysians.

“It is a clear sign that the government has failed us all. When (Prime Minister) Muhyiddin Yassin announced the emergency, he promised that cases will drop and the economy will be back to normal.

“However, after six months, we see no improvement. Economy is weak, cases continue to increase each day. The people have had enough.

“They have taken it upon themselves to help those in need. If we see a white flag, stop and ask how we can help. The suffering is real and we the people must put an end to this,” said Shazni.

He urged the government not to blame the opposition for the white flag campaign.

“The opposition is not part of the movement. The public is already fed-up and tired of your promises.”

“For the ministers and deputy ministers, if you can’t perform your tasks, please resign and let others replace you,” Shazni said.

Social media users have urged those who need help during the lockdown to raise a white flag outside their homes, and others to provide assistance when they see these flags.

These messages are being posted on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtags #RakyatJagaRakyat and #BenderaPutih, in a sign of a deepening anger towards the government, which just extended the movement-control order (MCO) indefinitely.

It isn’t clear who began the white flag campaign, but social media posts on the subject began yesterday and have increased overnight.

Twitter users who picked up on it are urging others to share the message widely, with many saying the government can no longer be depended on to help those in dire straits after prolonged lockdowns and Covid-19 cases still on the high side.

“Crazy, it’s truly #RakyatJagaRakyat at this point (because) our government has repeatedly failed us…just step down,” said @furrarie, who tagged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in her post.

Meanwhile, DAP Socialist Youth chief Howard Lee who is another panellist in the discussion said the government MPs have been busy playing politics instead of working to end the pandemic.

“Instead of convening the parliament, government MPs, ministers and deputy ministers are busy politicking. Instead of discussing the pandemic at the parliament, they chose to close parliament.

“The youth in my constituency in Pasir Pinji, Perak, have begged for food and jobs. They could have worked and earned an income if the government had helped in a proper way.

“As a result, we see cases of self-harming, attempted suicide and suicide in recent days, and the victims are all young people who could no longer take on the pressure of not having money and jobs for their families,” Lee said.

Meanwhile, social media users have ridiculed Local Government and Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin who attempted to support the campaign.

In a post earlier today, Zuraida had said she was supporting the campaign and urged Malaysians: “You do not need to beg, just raise a flag.”

Political cartoonist Fahmi Reza wasted no time ridiculing the ex-Pakatan Harapan MP by branding Zuraida as “shameless”.

Fahmi drew a picture of Zuraida with a white flag on her head and a hashtag #taktahumalu suka hijack initiative rakyat untuk acah terpaling prihatin (doesn’t know shame. likes to hijack people’s initiative to show that she cares the most).

A Facebook user, Irwan Maluis, said: “You are despicable.” for attempting to hijack the initiative.

Another user Mohd Asyraf said, “You didn’t do your job, now you try to copy others. Just take care of your Ah Long (loan shark)”.

Asyraf was referring to the minister’s recent announcement allowing credit companies and licensed money lenders to operate under MCO.

Many were against this move and they said it would lead to more people seeking help from loan sharks to get through this difficult period. – June 29, 2021.