“I WOULD rather live isolated from other people. I cannot stand it when people stare at us with annoyance.”
Those were the words of a man who chose to seek shelter at the Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada) water reserve facility in Kulim, far from the world outside.
The man, his wife and their 2-year-old son live in a makeshift tent under the water reserve facility. The roof of the tent is made from a piece of canvas and the family sleep on a sheet of plastic. There are no walls and they are totally exposed to the rain, insects and mosquitoes that are breeding freely nearby.
The son has an infection on his legs, which has not been treated. One could not help but wonder what kind of future the boy has, growing up in such an environment.
The man said his wife was suffering from a mysterious ailment and they had difficulties adjusting to living in a community like other normal families.
This family’s sad story would have grabbed readers’ attention and sympathy, especially during Ramadan as Muslims are encouraged to be compassionate to those in need.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most generous person during this holy month, giving away as much as possible despite he himself living in moderation.
However, as journalists, we are obliged to verify the man’s version of the story, just like any other case. True enough, our hunch was proven right when the authorities, who descended on the area a day after the man’s story had gone viral on social media, made startling discoveries.
First of all, the man and his wife turned out to be seasoned junkies with a history of being sent to drug rehabilitation centres. Urine tests conducted on the couple came out positive for heroin.
Checks also revealed that the couple had four other children who were living with a relative as well as a foster family.
As the authorities were doing the background checks, the story was already being shared by thousands of Netizens. Quite a significant number of Netizens did not hold back in bashing the authorities for neglecting such needy people.
This is the sad reality in this digital age. One post travels at lightning speed and more often than not, not many of us are bothered to verify the facts before sharing. Unfortunately, there are Netizens out there whose fingers work faster than their brain.
The plight of another family, who were living in a dilapidated shack in a rubber estate in Pokok Sena, recently caught the attention of Malaysians when a group of teachers who visited the family shared their plight on social media.
The story went viral in less than a day after it was posted on June 13, shared by thousands of concerned Netizens. The response to the predicaments of Che Rus Awang Bu was remarkable.
The mother of five lost her husband in an accident early this month. She has three young children aged 11, 6 and 2. Her eldest daughter is married, while her 17-year-old son had quit schooling.
Thanks to the post by the teachers of Che Rus’s daughter Nur Alia Natasya, well-wishers have begun chipping in to ease the family’s burden.
The Kedah Zakat Board swung into action within a day. The board issued a statement clarifying that that the family has been getting monthly food aid from the agency since last year and their application for aid to build a house was being processed.
While the original post was aimed at sharing the family’s predicament and helping them, a second wave of posts which ensued sought to stir up negative sentiments against the authorities, besides politicising the issue.
Some even lashed out at the authorities for sleeping on the job and many other hasty comments were made.
In response to the family’s plight, Pas Pokok Sena member of parliament Datuk Mahfuz Omar explained that his service centre had visited and rendered assistance to the family before their story went viral.
Mahfuz appealed to Netizens to verify information flooded on social media in connection with the family to prevent them from embarrassing the family.
Pokok Sena Umno division deputy chief Datuk Ariffin Man said the family had been getting attention from the authorities.
Like Mahfuz, Ariffin also was hesitant to elaborate on the family’s background for fear of creating negative impressions.
Upon further investigations, I discovered that the family had owned a two-room house built by the Kedah Development Authority in 2009, under the hardcore poor family housing programme.
I was made to understand that the house, located in Jeniang, was sold to a relative before the family returned to live in the dilapidated shack in Pokok Sena last year.
Similar to the stand made by Mahfuz and Ariffin, I shall not go into further detail on the history of the family. What is more important now is to help Che Rus in raising her children so that they will have a brighter future. Whatever happened before this was not their fault.
During my visit to the family’s shack, a contractor had started work to build a proper bathroom for the family.
Her face glowing, Che Rus shared the news that Kedah Zakat Board had approved a RM43,000 allocation to build a house for her family at the site, where the shack sits, after Aidilfitri.
Let us be grateful for the generosity of Malaysians who have brought Aidilfitri cheer to the family.
Che Rus’s case is one example of how social media can play a positive role in highlighting the predicament of the needy groups in society.
Nevertheless, it is equally important for us to be sensible before accusing the authorities. Otherwise, we will end up committing the sin of slander against others.
As the Prophet once told his companions: “The wise among you are those who refrain from hurting others by either your tongue or your hands.”
Social media is a double-edged sword, so decide wisely how to use it. May our hearts be purified and may our sins be forgiven.
Let us keep up the charitable spirit of giving to the needy after this Ramadan. There are quite a number of poor families in Kedah who are in need of our attention.
Let us purify our niat (intention) so that we will be getting guidance in doing the right thing, the right way.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
Adie Suri Zulkefli is Kedah NST bureau chief. He can be reached via adie.zulkefli@nst.com.my