KLANG – For housewife Nurhayati Ajis and her family of seven, who call their three-room, roughly 61 sq m dilapidated flat in Klang home, a typical meal consists of a packet of Maggi and an egg.
Such is their hardship that even having fish as part of their meal is considered a luxury.
“My husband mans a forklift in a warehouse. I try to help him earn additional income by selling food to neighbours or babysitting children. Our combined net income is about RM3,000 on a good month.
“With our housing and motorcycle loan and five children to feed, groceries have become too costly for us.
“But Alhamdulillah (thank God), my children have not once complained about life,” she said, not a hint of dejection or discouragement in her expression or voice.
Despite her struggles, Nurhayati was in high spirits when met by The Vibes yesterday.
A request for a short interview on the sidelines of an aid programme here was immediately met with a wide smile and the words “boleh je, jom” (of course, let’s do it).
With four of her five children currently in school, which requires a lot of spending, putting food on the table for her family remains Nurhayati’s primary concern every day.
“Even if we receive just a grain of rice as donation, we are always thankful for whatever aid comes our way. It goes a long way in helping us,” she said.
Norhayati was among 1,000 impoverished Klang families living in decrepit houses to receive aid yesterday in the form of a week’s worth of vegetables, handed out by Klang MP Charles Santiago.
The aid, which is part of Santiago’s food bank programme, is largely sponsored by the Vinod Sekhar Foundation, the brainchild of Petra Group chairman and chief executive Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar.
The foundation has been providing assistance in various forms to reach out to marginalised communities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is on top of the RM300,000 in food aid given to Santiago’s constituency in November last year and a RM1 million pledge for sustainable solutions to alleviate poverty in Klang.
The latest funding for the food bank brings the foundation’s total contribution since the start of the movement control order (MCO) last year to RM13 million, including a RM6 million mobile hospital donated to the Health Ministry for higher accessibility to rural areas.
Doing whatever it takes
Like Nurhayati, what many others approached by The Vibes lack in terms of wealth, they make up for with sheer spirit.
“Life must go on,” said retiree Balakrishnan Kupusamy, 68, who lives with his wife, two sons, his daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.
According to him, the family now only relies on the income of his two “heroes”, who are both lorry drivers.
“They earn about RM2,000 in basic wages. Of course it is insufficient, but we make do with what we have. The important thing is we can put food on the table,” he said.
For 44-year-old father of two, Mohd Safaryzam Zainl, he said his family has to live in moderation in order to survive until the end of each month.
The private clerk said that with the cost of living increasing over the years, he has had to pull extra hours and look for alternative means of obtaining income to make ends meet.
“I wouldn’t say we are living the most difficult lives, but we could certainly use any help we can get,” he said.
Are we facing hunger issues?
Santiago said that it is extremely disheartening and concerning that many Malaysians continue to live in poverty, questioning if the country is currently facing a serious hunger problem, particularly following the impact of Covid-19.
“You’d be surprised to find out that based on chats with some of the shopkeepers in these areas previously, their biggest sales come from Maggi and eggs. This just shows the state of Malaysians’ (ability to) buy food.
“In fact, three weeks ago, a 46-year-old woman I met told me she hasn’t eaten fish in the last four months. Can you even imagine that? Clearly, there is not enough financial support,” he said.
The DAP lawmaker added that many school teachers have approached him to inform that most students from poor families cannot even afford breakfast, and that their first meal is usually during lunch.
Describing current government aid as piecemeal, Santiago said that there is a strong, urgent need for more targeted cash handouts in the short term.
“Also, the government needs to control the prices of food like vegetables to make them more affordable. In the longer run, there must be more sustainable jobs and Malaysians must be reskilled.”
Santiago also said that he is in the midst of introducing an upskilling-and-reskilling programme that aims to benefit some 1,000 individuals in Klang each year.
“But, this kind of help must also come from the federal and state governments as well as the private sector. Help the needy set up and do business at home. There is a lot of potential here,” he said. – The Vibes, April 12, 2021
