PETALING JAYA, May 31 — Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim came to the aid of a homeless couple in Penang after members of the public alerted him of their heartbreaking living conditions.

The DAP politician tweeted on Saturday that the husband and wife had been sleeping on a footpath near Taman Bidara in Bukit Mertajam for three days with little food.

 

 

Sim then met with the couple, only known as Shah and Siti, and put them up at a hotel for the night.

The couple told him they couldn’t find a way out of their dire situation.

Shah left Kelantan for Penang to build a better life but when they arrived, the movement control order (MCO) came into effect and hampered their hopes.

They found shelter at an abandoned building in Taman Bidara.

"They have been worried about the outbreak and the MCO’s guidelines, afraid of being detained by the authorities for violating the SOPs,” Sim wrote.

"And come next week there will be a full lockdown.”

Sim picks out new clothes for Shah that will be handy when he goes job hunting. — Picture from Facebook/Steven Sim

In his heartfelt Facebook post, Sim tried to debunk stereotypes of homeless people.

"Shah and Siti are not lazy.

"Every day they go out early in the morning until late at night to find discarded cardboard boxes to sell.

"Sometimes they would earn RM10 to RM20 a day to bear the cost of food,” he said.

Sim added that Siti has a large container which she uses to save the money they earned to rent a place one day.

"I was so touched to see this young couple going through thick and thin together.”

A female shopper helps Siti with her new tudung. — Picture from Facebook/Steven Sim

To help Shah and Siti get a head start in life, Sim brought the couple shopping to buy daily essential items for the next two weeks ahead of the full lockdown.

He also bought them each a mobile phone so they can contact loved ones and each other, as well as new clothes.

"If Shah wants to find work, he has to dress smart.

"I asked Siti if she wanted to wear a tudung because I saw she wore one in her IC photograph and she said yes,” said Sim, who bought her a few pieces of tudung.

His kindness didn’t stop there.

The former youth and sports deputy minister rented a home for the couple and said he will continue paying for the rent until Shah finds a job and they are able to manage financially.

Sim has rented a home for the couple and says he will pay for the rent until Shah finds a job. — Picture from Facebook/Steven Sim

"At the new house, I called Ustaz Ahmad Fahmi from the Penang Islamic Religious Council to give the young pair religious counselling so they will have the strength to build a new life.

"I gifted Shah a copy of the Quran so he can make religion his guide to life and be a good husband and person,” Sim wrote.

For those asking, the couple’s cats Tam and Tam have also moved into their new home.

Sim, whose Facebook post received 33,000 reactions, called on the public to make a contribution to help the couple.

You can make a donation to the account below:

Bank: Maybank

Name: Akaun Khas Pusat Khidmat Parlimen Bukit Mertajam

Account number: 557090527361