Here's The Truth Behind The Viral Photos Of The "Abandoned" Mak Cik In Batu Pahat
The roofs are leaking, there's garbage everywhere and the elderly lady and her daughter have apparently been living in that condition for a while now.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 05 Dec 2016, 03:09 PM
A few days ago, photos of an elderly lady living in terrible conditions started circulating on Facebook.
The mak cik, who looks about 60 to 70 years old, was photographed living in what looks like an abandoned, dirty house.
A Facebook page, Suara Masyarakat Batu Pahat posted two photos and one video that is 1:57 minutes long showing how the elderly lady and her daughter live in such decrepit conditions.
SAM Batu Pahat's Facebook post read, "Allahu Akhbar... Beralamat di T/L 96, Parit Makmor, Jalan Parit Karjo, Senggarang, Batu Pahat, Johor."
The post which was posted on Saturday, 3 December, has since gotten more than 9,800 likes and over 34,000 shares with thousands of Malaysians commenting about the sad state of the mak cik's living conditions.
The video shows two officers from the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) checking the conditions of the house and asking the mak cik some questions.
Sitting amidst old bins and garbage on the floor, the elderly lady tells the men that the roof leaks when it rains.
What's amazing is that so many Malaysians have come forward, wanting to help the mak cik in any way they can.
People have offered to clean up the elderly lady's place and some have even set up accounts to collect funds for the mak cik.
Having seen the living conditions of the old lady, some of the commentators have offered to clean up the house and even make the necessary repairs.
A day after the Facebook post garnered so much attention, Malay daily, Sinar Harian posted an article that revealed the story behind the viral post
The Sinar Harian article that was published yesterday, 4 December explained the other side of the story. It highlighted how the mak cik's niece, one Norhashimah Ismail, who explained that the truth behind the old lady's living conditions are more complicated than it seems.
She also expressed her disappointment over how the issue has become viral when it isn't even true.
"I am so disappointed that my aunt's story has become viral, and what's worse is that it is untrue," said Norhashimah.
She also told Sinar Harian that she is really sad that some of the netizens have made some negative comments about the photos without any proper proof about it.
The article revealed that the mak cik in the photo is a 77-year-old lady named Asmah Hasim and her daughter is a 57-year-old lady who is an OKU (orang kurang upaya).
Norhashimah explained that she has been taking care of her aunt and cousin for the past six years, ever since the death of her aunt's husband.
"I didn't just leave her there sitting surrounded by all that garbage - every time I clean up the house, my aunt will mess it up again," added Norhashimah.
The 50-year-old also said that her aunt's behaviour became like this after the death of her husband.
"After the death of her husband, I have been taking care of my aunt and cousin. I make sure that they are fed and taken care of but I can't watch over them all the time as I'm working at a factory in town," said Norhashimah who also has a 14-year-old daughter that is an OKU.
"I have to go back and forth from my workplace to my aunt's house to prepare the food for them," she added.
The 50-year-old has denied all allegations that she has abandoned and failed to care for her aunt and cousin's well being as they have been under her care for years now
"Ever since the issue of my aunt and cousin being abandoned to live like that went viral on social media, I couldn't take my sadness - I have been crying just thinking about all the baseless allegations."
"I've cleaned up the place more than a hundred times, but "mom" still wants to sleep in a dirty environment. It's easy for people to accuse me, but only God knows the true story," she said resigned.
However, Norhashimah is glad that the issue has gotten the attention of the welfare department that has pledged to help the mak cik and her daughter.
Sinar Harian reported that the welfare department has removed the mak cik and her daughter from the house and has placed them at the Rumah Sri Kenangan (RSK) in Johor Bahru yesterday afternoon
Asmah and daughter Azizah was removed from their decrepit living conditions yesterday, 4 December.
Image via Sinar Harian