Social justice in a pandemic


SOCIAL justice is a way of ensuring that people adhere to their societal roles. According to Socrates, social justice means that people should follow a society’s rules and accept its burdens, as they have accepted its benefits. Religious scholars like Thomas Aquinas spoke of social justice as a way for citizens to serve God.
 
Food security, as defined by the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. 

In the context of Malaysia, the white flag campaign, which saw varying opinions from the public and politicians, raises concerns of the accessibility, availability, and stability of food security. This applies particularly to vulnerable groups like women, children, people in remote areas, and those who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.

The question that arises is whether there are sufficient social protections in Malaysia. Ideally, every member of society should have access to food security. Food supply should be stable and food wastage should be discouraged. Failure to ensure food security means social protection for food safety must be in place. While Malaysia is usually a food-secure nation, the white flag campaign is proof of otherwise. This is particularly when many have lost their jobs due to the lockdown. A good number of people from the M40 income group have slipped into the B40 group. 

The adoption of the National Food Security Policy Action (DSMN) for 2021-2025 at the Cabinet Committee Meeting on National Food Security Policy in June 2021 should mean that Malaysia is ready to face a food safety crisis. 

There are five core strategies in the Nation Food Security Plan, namely, expanding technology utilization, empowering research and studies, empowering food security data, expanding strategic cooperation, and strengthening government of departments and agencies.

The plan features 15 strategies and 96 initiatives, and is expected to contribute to the access of safe food at affordable prices, the increase in domestic food production, reduced dependency on food imports, and reduced reliance on foreign workforce.

Food security data should be available in the short term to address problems arising from the pandemic. Meanwhile, the import of staple food should be reduced in the long run, and the interests of small-scale agriculture businesses should be protected.

How the plan will be translated into action remains to be seen. In the meantime, social protection measures must be in place.

The unsuccessful housing and food policies in the United Kingdom (UK) during the late 1990s caused many to be homeless. However, the implementation of improved social protections policies on food and housing later saw a reduction in the number of homeless people in the UK. 

The raising of the white flag is symptomatic of a society that lacks social protection. It is also indicative that the current aid initiatives are not sufficient. 

All quarters of the society, including ministers, government agencies, and NGOs, should therefore stop politicking and work together for a better Malaysia. 

Food security laws should also be introduced to guarantee Malaysians the fundamental right of access to food. It is important for the government to do so to ensure social justice for the people. – July 11, 2021.

* Dr Noor Dzuhaidah Osman, Erni Saari, and Dr Suraya Abdul Sani read The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.


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