Couple in dire straits hope for aid

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MUAR: An elderly, childless couple who are in poor health in Air Hitam here are hoping the Government will provide them with a house under the programme to help the hard-core poor.

Tumin Arshad, 67, and wife Maznah Ahmad, 62, who live in Kampung Parit Hassan Ahmad Dua, are making the plea as their current wooden house is leaky, old and starting to rot.

Tumin, who is self-employed, is suffering from diabetes as well as hypertension. He said he needs a proper house as his wife is suffering from kidney failure and also diabetes.

“It is not for me but for Maznah who is very sick and has to move around whenever it rains as the zinc roof of our house is full of holes. With her condition, she still has to clean up the house afterwards and I just cannot not bear to see her suffer. Besides diabetes and kidney failure, Maznah also suffers from some mental problems and needs medication on a daily basis,” he said when met at his house recently.

Depleted: Tumin looking at his wooden house which has started to rot while his wife Maznah Ahmad stands by him.

He said the Johor Religious Department had offered to pay for her dialysis treatment which she needs every three days but she could not withstand the pain during the treatment.

He added that, besides the pain, Maznah also could not withstand being at the treatment centre for four or five hours every treatment and there was also no one to take her to town.

Tumin, who stopped working after he was diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension, depends on the Welfare Department aid of RM300 every month.

“The amount is just enough for us to buy essential items such as rice, cooking oil, milk and flour. It is not enough for taxi fare to go to the hospital every month.

“Since we have no children, there is no one to care for us or to help repair our old house, which has started to rot,” said Tumin.

Tumin said he was born in the village and had lived with Maznah in the house since 1972 but no politician ever visited them to see how they lived.

“We know many other people who are not as poor and sick as we are received houses under the hard-core poor programme and we hope the Government can build one for us,” he added.