KUALA LUMPUR – On the eve of Hari Raya Aidiladha last night, dozens of men, women and children lined up along the backstreets of Chow Kit, waiting for food and other aid, not knowing whether they will have a roof over their heads in the coming weeks.
With the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns showing no end in sight, some of them said there is little to celebrate during the auspicious day, as they are facing homelessness due to lack of income.
Samiah Taib, 50, was among several mothers who said that, although food supplies such as rice are sufficient for the near term, their families lack other basic necessities, such as bathing and dishwashing soap, shampoo, sanitary pads, laundry detergent, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
And, while the families have food supplies, they still rely on handouts from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and soup kitchens to ensure their supplies can stretch for some weeks.
The mother of three – including a special needs child – said that families with babies are also in need of diapers and baby formula, which they can barely afford.
Samiah, who was a roadside toy trader near the Sogo Shopping Complex until the strict lockdown started, said she has been unable to provide basic items for her children after months of not carrying out her business.
To make matters worse, she and her husband are already three months behind on rent for their dorm room shared by their family of five in the Chow Kit area. The rough average of rental of single rooms and halls for families in the area range between RM20 to RM30 per day, or some RM500 to RM700 per month, she said.
With no savings and almost no social safety net, Samiah said that she has sold off whatever jewellery and other belongings she had, merely to sustain.
“I’m in debt, starting from the previous Hari Raya (Aidilfitri), it’s been two months approaching three. I owe a lot already, and it’s not just me. My friends who rent rooms here really cannot afford to pay rent any longer,” she told The Vibes yesterday evening.
Fortunately, she said her landlord has been understanding of the family’s situation, but she has accumulated thousands of ringgit of debt due to arrears in rent.
However, despite the government’s announcement on cash handouts and other financial aid, Samiah said these processes have taken time and she needs cash immediately.
“For now, the government has been late,” she said. “To wait for i-Citra, we’ll have to wait until August (for payments to come) but in between, we are suffering. If we want to buy milk and Pampers (diapers) for the children, we don’t have the means.
“It’s been three months already. We should not have to depend on NGOs to give us assistance. Until when will they want to help us? If possible, I want things to open up so we can do business.
“It would be nice to have some duit raya (festive money). If not for us (parents) at least let the children have a feel of it.”
Wanting dignity but on the streets
Samiah’s eldest son, 21-year-old Mohd Salman Abdullah, said this Hari Raya Aidiladha was the most challenging one he has ever been through. He recalled times when people would come to the community area to give daging korban (sacrificial meat), but this was not the case this year.
And, like his mother, he, too, has sold off belongings to buy necessities, leaving him with only RM11 in his pocket.
Nevertheless, he insists that, although his family and friends are dependent on aid from others, they are people who strive for dignity in their lives.
“We are not gelandangan (homeless), we are orang jalanan (people of the streets). We’re poor and asnaf (eligible for zakat aid),” he said. “Not all of us are from Chow Kit.”
Before the pandemic, 28-year-old Zairul Azhar was working in the logistics industry transporting furniture, but now, his income source is almost completely gone.
The father of four, who lives in a flat in Puchong, said he came to Chow Kit as it is a known hotspot for NGOs to send food.
Zairul was seated in his paint-stripped Proton Iswara when met. His youngest child, no older than 4 years old, was fast asleep in the backseat.
“What we need are kitchen items and diapers. We also really need milk as my youngest child consumes a lot of it,” he said, pointing back at the sleeping child.
Zairul said he is not among those receiving food aid in Puchong, as the constituency is highly populated with the needy.
He said he has also been unemployed for several months and owes about two months of rent to his landlord. He also does not know when he will be able to get back on his feet again as there seems to be no indication of an end to the movement restrictions.
“What can we do? Times are really tough. This is a very different Hari Raya Haji, we cannot even go back to our home towns,” said Zairul, who is originally from Taiping, Perak. – The Vibes, July 20, 2021
