MMK Malaysia

Several years back, a survey was carried out around the world to gauge what is meant to be poor and how we perceived a person to be rich. Depending which country we are from, the result of the survey is a far cry from our understanding of being rich and poor. In a less developed country like Africa or certain parts of India, you are considered rich when you have two full meals a day. To the more developed Western countries, you are considered poor when you can’t afford a family trip oversea every year.

How then do we define this great disparity before we even talk of the poor among us. It will depend the different mindsets we are from or we may be talking to people whom we thought understand what we sharing.

There may be classifications in various ways, but in principle, the division seems to be four fold. Firstly and economically speaking, there are the indigent poor, who are deprived of the basic necessities of life. Secondly, there are the indolent poor, who are responsible for becoming impoverished because of their own behavior. Thirdly, and sociologically speaking, there are the powerless poor, who are oppressed victims of human injustice. And lastly and spiritually speaking, there are the humble poor, who acknowledge their helplessness and look to God alone for salvation

The first group, the indigenous poor are economically deprived. They may lack food clothing or shelter or all three of them. We are aware that millions of people within Malaysia are deprived of the sufficient income to meet ends meet. An average family (2 adults and two dependent school going kids) to make a decent living in the Klang Valley will need about RM3,500 per month for food, lodging, transport and other general expenses. Even with two working adults’ salary, it is hardly sufficient.

The Bible focuses its attention on poverty as an involuntary social evil to be abolish, not tolerated…

Zec 7:9 So speaks Jehovah of Hosts, saying, Judge true judgment, and practice kindness and pity, each man to his brother.
Zec 7:10 And do not crush the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor. And do not devise evil in your heart, of a man against his brother.

As MMK is ministering to the aliens, we will at this time focus on this specific group and understand their predicament and cries for help. Most of the legally employed general workers will need to cough out an average of RM4,500 to RM7,500 agency fees (depending from which country they are from) for the work visa which will enable them to work here. Depending on the industry they are placed in, the work visa is renewable every year at the cost of between RM1,800 to RM2,000. Most of the migrants will use their first year’s income, toiling at an average of 10-14 hours a day (including their overtime and preferable with weekends) just to pays off their debt. Then they work the same kind of hours for the next 2-4 years to make their living.

According to the Dewan Rakyat (Nov 09 report) we have about 2 million legal working aliens and possibly an equal number of undocumented workers (figures are hard to verify depending from which NGO or agency we refer to).

How then, can we as a body of Christ, respond to these down trodden, deprived and marginalized group of about 4 million people?

Being down trodden, they are deprived of their basic human right, in spite of what had been advocated that there are labor laws to protect them from being abused. These cases of abuse are not due to ignorance of the law but they were treated as a social class lower than us, as marginalized people!

How are we instructed by the Bible when responding to the poor around us? The following verses apply.

Lev 19:13 You shall not defraud your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not stay with you until the morning.

Lev 23:22 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap the corner of your field. When you reap the gleaning of your harvest, you shall not gather. You shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.

Deu 24:14 You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, of your brothers, or of your strangers that are in your land within your gates.

Exo 23:11 But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.

Likewise, Jesus championed for this class of deprived people. The NT speaks well of His association with them

Luk 12:33 Sell what you have and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which do not become old, an unfailing treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes nor moth corrupts.

Mat 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;
Mat 25:36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
Mat 25:37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You?
Mat 25:39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.

Can we, as disciples called by His name, do any less?