Sadly, it is not uncommon to spot an elderly person begging or sleeping on the streets and in public areas. And this is especially true around the urban and populated areas like Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.
Recently, fellow Malaysian Suki See shares with Facebook her personal encounter of such an incident.
In her post, she explains how she had encountered an old uncle with his daughter sleeping at a mamak that evening when suddenly the daughter went into seizure and fell down from the chair she was on!
The uncle desperately shakes her daughter, asking her to wake up. The uncle explains that his daughter has Epilepsy (seizure disorders). They have been evicted from their government house and need RM500 to return. Suzi and her sister then gave the uncle a small amount of money and ordered a pack of nasi goreng for him.
They then went home, packed some old clothes and returned to the mamak. By then, his daughter was suffering from another episode of seizure and was much more severe. In panic, the mamak owner then called the police and an ambulance arrived shortly to bring the girl to a hospital.
Suzi shows sympathy to the old uncle and his daughter and hopes that upon seeing her post their family will reach out to them to help, and also if others were to see them, to help out.
The post has been shared over 8,000 times and has sparked many generous Malaysians to want to help them; some asking where do they stay and are willing to help out with the RM500.
However, Jacky Lee Eng Soon from Persatuan Kebajikan Angels Hand, Selangor soon commented and asked people not to be too hasty in giving money to them but to let social workers do a background check first and then assist them accordingly.
Various comments have been posted saying that this said uncle’s situation is very complicated. They were evicted as they have not paid rent for a long time. Every time when the father and daughter have a some cash, they would splurge it all and not use it for rent.
The comments also highlights that the daughter is capable of working but choose to laze about, likewise the father.
In other comments, some have said that they have seen him bringing his daughter and grandson on his bicycle to work until 10pm, coming back all sweaty.
Another had said that they have contacted the uncle, and apparently they do not owe just RM500, but RM14,000!
It is sure tricky to gauge the sincerity of the old uncle and his daughter with the above comments.
Nonetheless, investigations are still ongoing. And should you feel like helping, it might be best to check with social services before reaching out in person.
