Illegal to be poor

In Malaysia recently, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor tried to clean up the city of Kuala Lumpur by banning soup kitchens.  He also forbade people to give alms to city's beggars.  His rationale seems to be that the presence of the poor and homeless makes the city look bad.

However, his words have been receiving a lot of negative backlash.  Doesn't Islam encourage giving alms to the poor?  Shouldn't the city be looking after these unfortunate ones, instead of making their lives more miserable?  What is the government doing to aid such people?

Isn't the cost of bureaucracy and corruption higher than the cost of feeding the poor?  Why can't rich bureaucrats open their homes to the poor to get them off the streets?  Is it a crime to be poor?

What do you think the solution of the problem is?

It seems to me that this is not just a Malaysian problem, but quite a universal one.  Countries like to look good by hiding away the fact that there are people among us who are less well off.  Social welfare schemes try to skimp on providing for these as they manage their budgets, as they try to entice the richer with tax cuts.  However, the poor will always be among us, and they need assistance.

In what way can we assist?  We say that "if we give a man a fish, we feed him for a day, but if we teach him to fish, we can feed him for a lifetime".  Is it possible to educate the poor and send them on the way to self-sufficiency?  Would that work for everybody?

How can we care for these people who need help?  Is it fair to give them money for not doing anything, at the expense of those who work hard for what they have?

What can nations do, as they struggle with their national budgets?

What would Jesus do?