People have shown much kindness amid the lockdown by responding in an open-hearted way to the #BenderaPutih (white flag) movement, but humanitarian NGOs say the movement has created much duplication of aid work, sometimes complicating efforts to help those in need.

“Many of us who have been doing this for years are not really that supportive of the white flag movement,” said William Cheah, who has been running the Kembara Soup Kitchen for more than half a decade.

While he commended the kindness of Malaysians, Cheah said the movement has created a lot of ad-hoc food banks, and many do not have any proper procedures...