FEARGAL Sharkey had a massive #1 hit in the 1980s called A Good Heart (Is Hard to Find). In the case of Malaysians though, a good heart can usually be found via the tummy and yummy food.
This was certainly the case with Sunny Seow who came to the rescue of his favourite nasi lemak stall that was threatened with closure over outstanding rent.
Seow disclosed that the stall was a Kulai institution and he had been a regular patron since he was a child. Located at Arked MARA Kulai in Johor, the stall was first opened by the grandfather and is now in the hands of the third generation with his granddaughter currently operating the business.
The stall once had a thriving business as it was situated near a bus depot but fortunes changed when the station was abandoned.
Seow revealed that he did not hesitate to help out the 50-year-old stall owner by handing her the required sum to settle the outstanding debt, stating that he wanted to maintain the place for the benefit of Kulai residents.
The stall operator known only as “Makcik” was moved to tears by Seow’s act of generosity.
The owner of a bean curd business went on to ask where the spirit of 1Malaysia was that the authorities had not deemed fit to lend a helping hand to a single mother who was clearly struggling to make ends meet.
A feather in his cap for raising the matter, MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki heaped praises on Seow who then updated on his Facebook (FB) page that the former has instructed a MARA officer to extend the leasing of stalls that are more than 50 years old.
“I was touched to read a post by a young Chinese man who helped a Malay Makcik who was having difficulty paying the rent arrears of her MARA premises at the MARA Kulai Arcade,” penned Asyraf who is also the UMNO secretary-general in his own FB page.
“Upon receiving information about it, I immediately instructed the director of MARA’s Commercial Infrastructure Division to investigate and take action to help facilitate all matters related to this aunt as reported.”
Seow’s sincere act of generosity that transcended race and religion has further received many thumbs up from netizens:
Malaysia certainly needs more stories like this where people are willing to help each other out regardless of race and religion.
A great plate of nasi lemak usually help though … – Dec 22, 2023
