CJ On The Move : The Homeless

During the early hours of 15 March 2009, a group of us Citizen Journalists (CJ) roamed the streets of Georgetown, Penang, looking for the homeless. We have been discussing about the fate of the homeless in Penang during one of our Citizen Journalism class and decided to do a documentary about it. With the help of a new friend, Vincent Lim of Lightworks, we gathered courage to approach a few of the homeless who knew Vincent. Vincent has been taking care of these homeless people and he knows them by name, age and even their characters.

The state of Penang has probably done a good job reducing the numbers of beggars and homeless for the past 1 year, but there are still many who are wandering around and sleeping behind Oriental Hotel (opposite Odeon Cinema), the underpass of Prangin Mall and the Komtar bus station. 

My fellow CJ Lucia Lai interviewed an Indian homeless man and asked why he does not seek help from the Welfare Dept, he claimed that the Welfare Dept has sent many of the homeless to Tanjung Rambutan and that was the reason he refused help. 

Another fellow CJ Lilian Chan, interviewed a Chinese man who was more than willing to go with the Welfare Dept. so that he can be taken care of. End of the day, the state is responsible for the welfare of its citizens, especially the poor and the homeless.We are currently editing the video and will send a copy of the video to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.