“The important thing is that we go down to them, it doesn’t matter if there are flags or no flags, we help the people,” he told reporters after presenting aid to the needy in conjunction with the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (Yapeim) in Port Dickson today.
He said this when asked to comment on the views expressed by several parties regarding the action of waving the white flag as a signal to ask for help.
Zulkifli said the public could also ask for help by contacting the line provided through the websites or Facebook pages of agencies under his supervision, including Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim) and Yapeim, Bernama reported.
He said so far, assistance worth more than RM700 million had been channelled to the public through agencies such as the zakat collection centre and state religious departments.
Meanwhile, on the SOPs for sacrificial rituals held to mark Hari Raya Haji celebrations this month, he said it was subject to the respective state religious departments.
He said while the national Islamic council had already decided that sacrificial worship was allowed, it was still necessary to follow the SOPs set by the National Security Council and the advice of the state muftis.
Meanwhile, in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, PAS Youth deputy chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said the white flag was symbolic of an emergency that needed urgent attention from those including mosques, neighbours, madrasahs and area-elected representatives.
“In the current situation, there may be people who need disposable diapers for children and some who need rice, and some even need money to pay rent,” he said, adding that he hoped the issue would not continue to be politicised.