SEPANG: The shoes worn when visiting a flood relief centre (PPS) should not have been made into an issue, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun (pic).
Rina said she visited the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SKJT) Saraswathy PPS at Jalan Kelang Lama last Sunday in high heels because she had earlier attended an event at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur and immediately left after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had delivered his speech.
"While at the event, I received messages about flood-affected areas and felt I needed to go to the ground to gauge the situation. I changed my baju kurung to pants and blouse but in the rush did not have time to change my shoes," said Rina.
"What is important is my presence at the location is to ensure their welfare is looked after and see what else I can do to help them (flood victims),” she said when asked to comment on criticisms regarding her dress code at the PPS.
On a separate issue, she said that campaigns like "Do Not Donate Here” which discourage the public from donating to disaster relief funds organised by the government are inappropriate as the country is now dealing with a disaster.
She said the priority is to ensure that all resources are utilised to help the flood victims and that the funds would reach the target groups.
"The money we raise (through the disaster relief fund) will be given to the people," she told reporters after visiting the flood relief centre (PPS) at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kota Warisan here on Thursday (Dec 23).
The "Do Not Donate Here" campaign is now trending on social media after many expressed their disagreement with the government collecting donations from the public to be channelled to flood victims. The campaign, however, encourages donors to contribute directly to non-governmental organisations.
"In situations like now, there is no need for such hashtags. Doesn't matter who is doing it (raising money) as long as the recipients benefit and our aims are achieved,” said Rina. - Bernama
