The single mother and her 10 children will be staying at a temporary house fully paid by Steven Sim while waiting for government housing to be ready for them.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Mertajam, Steven Sim Chee Keong today shared how he received last minute information that there was a family in his constituency that got evicted from their home after they no longer could afford rent and decided to act swiftly and assist them. In a Facebook post which has now gone viral with over 2,500 shares, Steven shared how he actually had an important meeting to attend with Bagan MP, Lim Guan Eng but asked for it to be deferred in order to help the family.
Steven Sim, who is also the former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports then rushed to the family’s evicted home and found that Puan Ros, a single mother and her 10 children have already packed all their belongings and were sitting in front of the home, bewildered without any place to go. Steven shared,
“Puan Ros and her 10 children, the youngest of which is only 3 years old. She sat outside the home crying, thinking about her children. A mother’s love is priceless, her children will always come first, even before her own self.”
Steven then approached Puan Ros and assured her that he will do all within his powers to ensure that the family would have a roof above their heads before sundown.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP) assemblyman then brought the whole family to Tesco Bukit Mertajam to purchase groceries and other essential items. Steven ended up purchasing two full trollies of items for the family. He asserted,
“Even the cashier was shocked as she thought we were buying wholesale for business purposes. I hope that this would be enough supplies for them throughout the holy month of Ramadan up until Aidilfitri.”
After that, Steven noticed that Puan Ros’ children were eyeing some toys at a store there. Having small children himself, the Bukit Mertajam MP brought them inside the store and purchased their favourite toys for them.
Outside of Bukit Mertajam Tesco, there was a bazaar selling clothes for Aidilfitri. Steven then decided to purchase a set of Hari Raya outfits for each child. At first Puan Ros declined when Steven wanted to purchase something for her as well, saying that as long as all her children are happy, she doesn’t need one. In fact, Puan Ros never purchased a baju raya for herself and always prioritised her children.
Hearing this, Steven then said to the children that this time, Puan Ros must have a baju raya for herself. All the children then together picked an outfit for their loving mother.
Previously, Steven launched a highly successful fundraising programme to purchase tablets for students in Bukit Mertajam called ‘Asal Cek Mau Pi Sekolah’. Seeing how important education is and that no one should be left behind just because they couldn’t afford to purchase online learning gadgets, the Bukit Mertajam MP also bought tablets for Puan Ros’ children who are attending school. He said,
“Asal Cek Mau Pi Sekolah (As long as you want to go to school), uncle will make sure that you will continue to study, regardless how hard. Only with proper education can our fates be changed.”
After a whole day of shopping, Steven then brought the family to McDonald’s to eat. When at the counter to order, the family was quiet. At first Steven thought that the family didn’t like McDonald’s but then the family told him that they have never eaten at the restaurant and don’t know what to order. Steven then ordered for the whole family.
The DAP lawmaker then brought them to their temporary new home while waiting for government housing to be ready for them. Puan Ros asked Steven how much is the rent but he assured her to not worry about the expenses. The Bukit Mertajam will personally pay for the rent and expenses until the family’s new home would be ready.
Steven then bought a new blender for Puan Ros at Wonderful supermarket after forgetting to purchase it in Tesco. Now, the single mother of 10 can easily cook for her children. Steven then ended his Facebook post by saying,
“I promised Puan Ros and her family that today will be a happy day for them. I am grateful that I was fortunate enough to be there with them to share their elation.”
Thanks to the Bukit Mertajam MP’s quick action, a day of sorrow for the family turned into a happy one at the end of it. Kudos to Steven Sim for his dedication towards the welfare of his constituencies.
