Penang aunty’s home saved by Anwar factor, 30 years apart

 

The family home of ‘Aunty Woon’ in Permatang Pauh was repaired and given a facelift within a month. (Steven Sim Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The ancestral home of a woman in Penang has once again been saved with the help of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, just as he had done so 30 years ago.

Her story was related today by Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim on his Facebook page.

The 57-year-old woman, whom Sim called “Aunty Woon”, looks after her two brothers, one bedridden and the other mentally disabled, in their dilapidated home in Permatang Pauh, Penang.

Her only source of income is through collecting recyclables every day.

Sim said the prime minister arranged through him for Aunty Woon’s home to be repaired. It was only when paying her a visit that Sim found out that Anwar, who previously served as Permatang Pauh MP for six terms, had also helped the family 30 years ago.

Sim said Aunty Woon’s late father had purchased the house but fell prey to a scam in the 1990s, which left the family facing eviction.

“At the time, they went everywhere looking for help. No one wanted to help. One day, Aunty Woon’s late sister met Anwar, who was then the deputy prime minister.

“Her sister told her that Anwar’s bodyguard did not stop ordinary citizens from meeting him. Anwar asked her, ‘Can I help you?’ and immediately offered his assistance,” said Sim, who is human resources minister in Anwar’s Cabinet.

Sim, who is also DAP deputy secretary-general, said the house had fallen into disrepair, with rotting wooden roof and walls, and cracked floor.

“I told her, don’t worry, prime minister Anwar asked me to come help her. At the time, I didn’t know how Anwar had helped her family 30 years ago,” Sim said.

He said his team completed repairs within a month.

“Today, when I visited Aunty Woon, she joked that her house was now like a mansion. She then related how Anwar saved their home 30 years ago, and has saved their ancestral home again,” said Sim. - FMT