Musings: "Pemutihan" (Whitening) of homelessness
After a talk session at Raw Art Space last night, I found myself around Pasar Seni after 11pm. As I was waiting for a few people who were chatting by the sidewalk, I spotted a lady (whom I assume is homeless, because she had with her a small luggage and two worn-out plastic bags) telling off an old man who was lying down on a flattened cardboard in front of a nearby shop that was already closed. I thought she was harassing him because she sounded angry, but after a minute or so of being ignored by him, she raised her voice even louder until I overheard: "Jangan duduk sini! Nanti diorang datang untuk pemutihan, tahu!" (Don't stay here! They will come to 'cleanse' this area!) At first the man gave in (or maybe he was annoyed), as he slowly got up and started packing his things. Seeing this, the lady walked away from him, towards my direction. He stopped midway and plomped back down on the cardboard after she left tho. I think she noticed that I overheard her inter