Widow touched by speech

Raya foodstuff:Ooi presenting goodies to Che Mah Awang, 70 while Mokhtar looks on.

WIDOW Munah Ahmad has been living on her own without a steady job since her husband died 30 years ago. The 56-year-old, who suffers from arthritis on her knees, occasionally rummages through the trash to find discarded boxes and bottles to be sold for recycling purposes.
“Sometimes, a nearby factory would hire me to sort out the papers, which I can earn about RM100 a month.

“But I am finding it quite hard to make ends meet especially with the recent increase in price of food items,” she said after receiving Hari Raya aid from the Bagan Lalang Komuniti Bestari organisation in Taman Puyu, Butterworth recently.

Munah, who does not have any children, could not hold back her tears when North Seberang Prai district officer Mokhtar Mohd Jait gave a speech about living in poverty. Mokhtar, who was overcome by emotion on seeing Munah cry, said he understood how she felt as he too came from a low-income family.

“My family was poor, but we slowly overcame that after obtaining a good education,” he said.
Mokhtar said there were still many poor people who did not know where to get help while many were shy to ask for help. “We often say that Malaysians are a caring lot, but we must sincerely apply it in a practical manner,” he said.

Bagan Jermal assemblyman Ooi Chuan Aik said the hardcore poor were the worst hit with the recent global price increase in food items. He said efforts must be stepped up to narrow the income disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

Bagan Lalang Komuniti Bestari chairman L. Balu said about RM1,000 worth of grocery items were given out to 30 needy people.