COMMENT Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s decision to forcefully evict soup kitchens that have been feeding the poor and homeless in the capital city all these years is not only appalling in the spiritual month of Ramadan, it violates the constitutional and human rights of the homeless.

This action suggests he is more concerned about the image of the city rather than the plight and the rights of the homeless. The fact that Malaysia has a significant number of poor and homeless attempting to survive in among the glittering skyscrapers of our capital city is not an “image” problem.

Rather, it reflects the misplaced “development” priorities of a government more interested in creating a playground for the rich and as a draw for tourists, than in attending to the fundamental rights and needs of citizens who happen to be the low waged and unemployed.