Shelter, a Basic Need

In Sabah, a state in East Malaysia, many locals still live in abject poverty. One case was recently highlighted in the media where a widow with three young children was living in a shack so dilapidated that it is inconceivable that this is happening in a progressive society.
It is an indictment of the relevant authorities who failed to follow up on her case when she registered for aid.

Indeed credit must be given to the teacher who went to see why his student had not gone to school. It was he who saw the dismal conditions under which they were living and he helped the widow to register once more with the relevant authorities. She revealed that whenever she went to inquire into the outcome of her application she was told to wait.

Her wait dragged into months and then years. Meanwhile she had three young mouths to feed, clothe and school expenses to foot. Her toil under the sun in a plantation only earned her RM10.00 a day, which is just over USD 3.00, provided she can find work.

Now that the media has brought her plight into the open, embarrassed officers and departments started moving, especially when it was made known that the Prime Minister’s wife had started the ball rolling by getting the Girl Guides to hand over donations they had collected. Hopefully, this family will get better housing soon and the mother will be able to find work that will enable her to support her young family, without being exploited.

Why is it that the hardcore poor are often ignored and deprived of what is a basic right, by the indifferent attitudes of those who should be helping?

At the other end of the spectrum are the mansions where its owners live a lifestyle that is the envy of the ordinary folks. In fact housing is becoming less affordable these days, especially for those who have just entered the job market. Prices of property, especially condominiums, have rocketed. An ordinary wage earner finds it impossible to buy a landed property unless it is very far out from the town where he works, which means he has a long distance to commute each day.

Whoever said that life is fair?