Villagers do their bit for loner Lee
Published on: Thursday, May 28, 2020
By: Ahmad Apong
Volunteers pose in front of the completed house.
BEAUFORT: Lee Tian Ong, 69, who lived a secluded life in a dilapidated hut in Kg Kabajang here for years finally has a new home – thanks to several village residents.His neighbor Sharayal Malih said it was a joint cooperative effort (gotong royong) between the villagers who wanted to help Lee just before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed.ADVERTISEMENT
“Several other village residents and I including the Village Chief built this house on our own expense, so that Lee could live comfortably in his new home,” he told Daily Express. He said although the new home is not the most spacious it was sufficient for Lee to live alone.
A kind donor, who goes by Apok, also donated a 200-litre water tank for Lee.
“Following the exposure regarding this situation on Daily Express and social media, Lee has received a lot of help in the form of foodstuff, especially from the Lumadan Community Development Leader (UPPM) Mahadi Mumin and Lumadan People’s Representative Matbali Musah. We would like to say thank you to Mahadi, Matbali as well as the Village Chief and village residents here for their kind help.
“Lee is indeed happy with our efforts to build a house for him, where we also provided a kitchen and a bridge over the drain to cross to his house,” he said.ADVERTISEMENT
He added that Lee no longer needs to worry when it rains as his new house is far better than his old hut where the kitchen was built separately.
“However, we also hope for more donations and anyone who would like help by offering foodstuff or monetary aid can do so through us by contacting 012-8633112,” he said.
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According to Sharayal, Lee lives alone in the village’s outskirts and works as a rubber tapper at his family’s six-acre plot with a daily wage of around RM10.
He added that Lee was left by his family due to a misunderstanding many years ago. However, he did have family members who offered him help during the MCO.