KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — In an about-turn, the Federal Territories Ministry says the metal bars fixed to several benches are actually armrests.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, said City Hall installed the bars to replace the armrests which had been vandalised.
“We had previously installed wooden dividers but they broke it, so we decided to replace them with metal bars,” he said.
City Hall had told Malay Mail last month the metal bars were fixed on benches in several areas, including Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Raja Laut, to prevent vagrants from sleeping on the benches.
Its director-general, Datuk Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, said City Hall decided to install the bars as the antics of the homeless were tarnishing the image of the city.
The move, however, was criticised by several soup kitchens.
Nasi Lemak Project founder Mastura Mohd Rashid questioned the intention behind the fixing of the metal bars, while Pertiwi Soup Kitchen founder Munirah Hamid said the “dividers” were “unfriendly” to the homeless.
Some members of the public supported the idea, saying few would want to sit on the benches after the homeless and drug addicts had slept there.
A Malay Mail reporter and a photographer tried to squeeze between the steel bars to lie down but it was only the reporter (who weighs 45kg and stands at 1.51m) who managed to squeeze between the bars installed on benches in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
The photographer (who weighs 80kg and stands at 1.7m) could not fit between the dividers.
The move to install the metal bars was made following a July 3 announcement by the ministry that soup kitchens in the city would be barred from operating within a 2km radius of Lot 10 in the Golden Triangle Area.
The ban was supposed to come into effect on August 16 but following strong criticism, Tengku Adnan announced on August 9 the soup kitchens could continue to operate although City Hall would monitor their cleanliness.
