History
Formation of society
MRC has its beginnings in 1948 as branches of the British Red Cross Society in the former British North Borneo (now the Malaysian state of Sabah) and Sarawak. In 1950, the British Red Cross Society established the first branch in Penang in the Federation of Malaya from which it rapidly expanded its presence in the other states.
Upon the independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957, the branches in Malaya were reorganised as the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society and the society was officially incorporated by statute with the passing of the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society (Incorporation) Act 1962 by Parliament. On 4 July 1963, the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society received official recognition as an independent national society by the International Committee of the Red Cross and subsequently admitted as a member of the League of Red Cross Societies on 24 August 1963.
With the formation of the larger federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the Malaysian Red Cross Society (Incorporation) Act 1965 to incorporate the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society and the branches of the Red Cross Society in Sabah and Sarawak under the name of the Malaysian Red Cross Society was passed by Parliament and gazetted on 1 July 1965. On 5 September 1975, the Malaysian Red Cross Society was renamed the Malaysian Red Crescent Society by the passing of the Malaysian Red Cross Society (Change of Name) Act 1975 by Parliament.[6]
Leadership
Datuk Ruby Lee was the first secretary general for the MRC, serving the post for 32 years from 1965 to 1996.[7] The current secretary general is Mr. Hakim Hamzah, who was appointed to the position since May 2021.[8]
Vietnamese Boat People
MRC was awarded the Nansen Medal by the UNHCR on 10 October 1977 for its role in "aiding thousands of refugees who arrived in their country in recent years as a result of the conflict in Indo-China".[9]
MRC was in charge of providing all facilities for the care and maintenance of Vietnamese Boat People (VBP) since the first landing on 4 May 1975 of 47 VBP on Pulau Bidong, a small island off the northeast coast of the Malay Peninsula. Since then, over a continuous period of 19 years more than 250,000 VBP have landed in Malaysia. In 1994, there were 6,500 refugees housed in two camps, located at Sungai Besi and Cheras, each a few kilometres outside the city of Kuala Lumpur.[10] In June 2001, the UNHCR and MRC closed the last refugee camp in Kuala Lumpur, ending 21 years of cooperation in which more than a quarter-million people transited the country.[11] In August 2005, 43-year-old Doan Van Viet became the last refugee to exit the country to return to Viet Nam. [12]
Mandate
In terms of Malaysian legislation, the mandate of MRC is outlined in an Act of Parliament, in Directives of the National Security Council, an Act of the Ministry of Health, and a Police Directive on crisis and violence management.[13]
More precisely, as defined in the MRC Constitution, it shall be the duty of the Society to perform the following:[14]
- Maintain a permanent and active uniform organisation to save lives, reduce suffering, damage and losses and; to protect, comfort and support affected people, especially casualties of armed conflicts, disasters or other emergencies irrespective of nationality, race, class, gender, creed, language, age, disability, ethnicity, social background, political considerations and any other similar grounds;
- Promote knowledge of international humanitarian law and the Fundamental Principles of the Movement, strategies and policies of the Federation and the Movement, social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace in order to develop humanitarian ideals among the population and in particular among children and youth;
- Contribute to the improvement of health, the prevention of disease and the mitigation of suffering to enable healthy and safe living;
- Promote the participation of children and young people in the work of the Society and to strengthen the international friendship amongst Red Cross and Red Crescent Youth all over the world;
- Cooperate with the Government and local authorities and other voluntary organisations engaged in work similar to that of the Society provided that the Society retains administrative control over its own funds, personnel and material and to take all necessary steps to prevent the illegal use or abuse of the Red Cross / Red Crescent name and emblem;
- Promote and maintain public interest in the activities of the Society and to rely for the running of its administration on voluntary contributions, donations and approved income generating activities and as much as possible to give free services provided that the Society may receive income derived from the Society's property (movable or immovable) or investments provided also that grants in aid may be accepted from the Government, local authorities and private organisations for meeting the expenses of any specified service undertaken by the Society;
- Promote the formation of Chapters, Branches and Units and exercise control over their activities;
- Consider and approve in appropriate cases recommendations for the bestowal of distinctions, medals and badges of the Society, the Movement, Federal and State awards and to take all the necessary steps to prevent the unauthorised use of the Society's name, uniform, medals and badges.
Programs and activities
Health
Blood donation
Through the Community Health Service programme, MRC has carried out blood donation activities through awareness campaigns and blood donation programmes conducted in public places.[15] The MRC Miri District became the first branch in the country to gain UN recognition for Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation (VNRBD) over 30 years ago.[16]
Ambulance service
The Malaysian Red Crescent runs a 24-hour ambulance service throughout the nation which consists of over 50 ambulance units in 16 branches.[17] In 2016, MRC and St John's Ambulance participated in a nationwide pilot project to ensure that ambulances can reach a patient in need of emergency services within 15 minutes.[18] In March 2022, an MoU was signed to cement the cooperation between the two organisations and MOH, which would cover Hotspots 999 Ambulance Services (Perkhidmatan Ambulans Hotspots 999) and AED Komuniti Malaysia programmes in providing emergency and disaster aid to victims, as well as training programmes.[19] In February 2023, the Health Minister said in a parliamentary reply that between 28% and 42% of MOH ambulances achieved the 15-min KPI arrival for critical emergency cases from 2016 to 2022.[20]
First aid training
The MRC initiated a programme called "A First Aider in Every Home". The objective of the programme is to have at least 1 person trained in first aid in every Malaysian family.[21][22]
MRC jointly organized a first aid course for the visually impaired with the Saudi Red Crescent and the Malaysian Association for the Blind.[23]
Medical care
From February 2023, MRC and Maaedicare Charitable Foundation have teamed up to deliver free, affordable healthcare in Malaysia via Klinik Amal Percuma. The clinic will provide free medical services such as primary care, chronic disease management, health education and counselling to underserved folk, and 16 free clinics will be set up in various states.[24]
Disaster response
Flood
MRC responded to the 2007 Johor floods. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $50,000 to the Malaysian Red Crescent to support emergency relief efforts, [25] and the IFRC allocated CHF 50,000 (US$41,425) from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). [26]
Typhoon
On December 25, 1996, the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo was hit by Tropical Storm Greg. In response, the MRC manned 3 relief centres for the victims and distributed food to those affected.[27]
Tsunami
After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused damage to the coastal areas of Perlis, Penang and Kedah, the MRC appealed for donations and volunteers responded to the disaster. Temporary shelters were set up for the victims who lost their homes. Food and water was also distributed among the victims.[28]
Earthquake
In 2015, the state of Sabah was hit by earthquake, where the MRC mobilised relief efforts to the disaster.
Landslide
After the 2022 Batang Kali landslide, MRC responded by supporting with the search and rescue, and supplying medical aid and psychosocial support to the survivors at the site.[29]
COVID-19 pandemic response
During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, the MRC launched the #responsMALAYSIA (Malaysia's response) programme. The programme aims to providing a platform for individuals and corporate entities to contribute towards the procurement of essential items required by frontliners, as well as drive MRC's community engagement efforts.[30]
MRC implemented three rounds of perception survey funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to gather the attitude, concerns, and information needs of the people about the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]
MRC held a photo exhibition at Rumah Tangsi in Kuala Lumpur in March 2022 to showcase its vaccination initiatives for the underserved community during the pandemic. Over a period of eight months, MRC administered over 50,000 vaccinations across 15 states, often having to trek off-road to serve remote communities. These mobile vaccinations outside the main vaccination centres (PPVs) started with the bedridden and OKU community, before expanding to the Orang Asli communities, migrants, asylum seekers, the homeless, and adolescents.[32]
In August 2022, MRC received a RM5mil grant-in-aid for vaccine and booster doses from the Australian Government through the Australian Red Cross.[33]
MRC Negeri Sembilan chapter organised a Long Covid Awareness Day together with a blood and organ donation drive at Mydin Mall in Seremban 2. During screenings for long Covid at the event, 38.5% of respondents reported that they still felt unwell despite more than three months since their last COVID-19 infection. The majority said they experienced fatigue (23.1%), persistent cough (19.2%) and memory problems (17.3%).[34]
Restoring Family Links
MRC supported ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) in providing Restoring Family Links service in five immigration detention depots, i.e. Bukit Jalil, Semenyih, Lenggeng, Langkap and Belantek. The purpose of this service is to assist detainees to reconnect with their families to notify of their conditions and to get assistance such as documentation or flight ticket. Services provided are Red Cross Message, telephone, notifications to either or both their Embassies and UNHCR. The service is normally carried out between 3–5 days with the assistance of volunteers and staff of MRC.[35]
International humanitarian law (IHL)
On 19 May 2022, MRC launched a handbook that was jointly developed with the ICRC to promote IHL among members of the parliament. Titled "Promoting Respect for International Humanitarian Law: A Handbook for Malaysian Parliamentarians", the book aims to serve as a reference for Malaysian parliamentarians in carrying out relevant roles, as well as a general introduction to IHL and the ICRC, the MRC and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement particularly in Malaysia. The publication was also supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Malaysian parliament and the Institute for Political Reform and Democracy (REFORM Malaysia), and the launch followed by a round-table discussion themed around the 60th anniversary of Malaysia's accession to the Geneva Conventions in 2022.[36]
Overseas response and fundraising
In response to the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, the Malaysian Red Crescent collected donations amounting to over RM3 million and sent to the Japanese Red Cross Society.[37]
The Malaysian Red Crescent Society appealed for donations and launched a relief effort in response to the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. Six volunteers also joined the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) that responded to the disaster.[38]
They also launched a relief effort in 2018 to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi, Indonesia.[39]
Membership
Membership of MRC is open to all individuals without any discrimination based on nationality, race, class, gender, creed, language, age, disability, ethnicity, social background, political considerations or any other similar grounds. A Member who is of thirty years of age or below will be categorised as a Youth Member and may participate in the Youth activities of the Society and the Federation. People can join as life members or to renew their membership on an annual basis.[14]
MRC members are expected to affirm and abide by the Constitution of the Society, as well as adhere to and disseminate the Fundamental Principles of the Movement. Members are expected to promote the work of the Society. Members are able to vote as well as being eligible to stand for election to take up the position of an elected office. Members can present proposals and raise issues in accordance with the Regulations of the Society.[14]
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