Not everyone can be Mother Theresa!

Mother Theresa

All of us, Malaysians, have come a long way since our forefathers' days...

Arriving in Malaya as coolies in the 1930s, many of their descendants have mostly progressed by leaps and bounds. There are, however, a small fraction of the population for whom time decided to stand still or rather they decided to stand still and see the world just pass them by. They are contended to live in the 1950's. For them, the sun still rises...

My better half received a call from my children's school principal for a call of duty. An Indian boy had requested two months' leave from school to work as a lorry assistant; the job his father was doing before he was incapacitated after he fractured his leg. She was sent on a fact finding mission to help out in whatever possible way. After the whole of visiting the household, she had only one thing to say - some people cannot be helped as they do not help themselves!

Datin Paduka Mangalam

The said boy is a Form 2 boy is the eldest in a family of 8. His mother is 32 years young, with a busy obstetric career has the youngest child of 2. They all live as one happy family together, together with the maternal grandmother and the maternal uncle in a 2 room flat! (deja vu?). True, the father was home bound moving around in crutches. He was unfit to work as a lorry attendant but fit enough to join his friend on his motorcycle for a drink during my wife's visit. The children were all growing wild like wildflowers in the meadows or mushrooms after a desert downpour with their own make shift toys and games oblivious to their gloomy future ahead. They were all undernourished and small for their age.The second child was cycling down in the flat compound as he was not attending school at all. Reason? He did not possess a birth certificate because the parents did not register him earlier and the father had no time to sort out matters in the National Registration Department in Putrajaya!
The mother of the boy, a housewife, found it not possible to supplement the family income either by working at home or outside. "Someone has to mind the kids. I tried to get employment as a kitchen helper but the restaurateurs are more keen on foreigners instead!" she said in Tamil, of course! I think it is because the locals are not disciplined, more demanding and fickle minded. Sometimes they do not turn for work, citing need to attend funerals - for the grand auntie's grandmother's sister whom I thought had died many times!!! ...just an example...
The maternal grandmother could not help around during this crisis had she had to attend a temple ceremony in Kuantan. And the maternal uncle had to run his scrap metal stall under a nearby tree. On top of all these, the family has to vacate the rented flat as their rent is long overdue. The plot gets thicker and more pathetic as time went on. My wife just fled from the scene. There was only so much she could stomach. I later told her that not everyone can be Mother Theresa or Mother Mangalam.
She, being herself, did not leave things just like that. She contacted the DAP liaison officer to relate the whole family's predicament. Surprise! Surprise! They were well aware of their situation as they had been informed by the flat local Rukun Tetangga committee. Their earlier attempts proved futile as the head of the family had channeled the aid to quench his undying desire to hit the bottle! So, is there no solution for these nihilistic people? Is this vicious cycle destined to continue into their next generation? All of us are only concerned for the helpless children. Through no fault of theirs, via the sins of their parents, their future looks so bleak that they have to don night goggles with infrared vision.
Next on my  wife's help list is Datuk Saravanan, the FT minister.
When you encounter a spooky situation, whom do you call? The Ghostbusters, of course! And when you are caught in a catch 22 situation as above, who do you call? Mother Theresa? Mother Mangalam? The hugging Amma who will hug you and keep you satisfied? Or a street evangelist like Pastor Indra Shan who has the drive, passion and patience to serve and knock some sense into these marginalised people of the society.  
And the sun still rises for these people...