Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email One boy does part-time electrical wiring job after school, while another (13-years old) distributes phamplets to earn part – time. They come from low-income families but:
The dreams and determination of these teenagers certainly do not match the size of the house they live in.
This article is really touching. A family (Ramu) earns nearly RM1000 (He earns 500, his mom 300, and welfare department gives 160) yet still living in longhouse. With 5 people in the family, is RM1000 enough? Can these families be considered as poor since their income is above the poverty rate?
Youngsters of Jinjang Utara longhouses dream of better homes and lives
By YAM PHUI YEE
IN the small, cramped quarters of the Jinjang Utara longhouses, youngsters dream of better homes and work hard to make their ambitions come true.
Ramu Pandiyan’s house looks better than his neighbours simply because the living hall is tiled. The longhouses in Jinjang Utara Kawasan D where Ramu lives mostly have cement floors with minimal furnishing. The usual sofa and TV sets and display shelves that sometimes double as altars are the common furniture pieces in some of these households.
Hoping for a better life: Shanthi wants only the best for her children.
Initially, these houses were meant to be a temporary shelter for squatter home settlers pending relocation to low-cost units, but what was promised as a six months wait has stretched to be nearly six years.
Ramu, 19, can’t wait for the day he can move out of the place. “Definitely we want to move out. My family thought of shifting out last year but it did not materialise. I hope we can get out of here by the end of this year,” said Ramu who strikes a stylish picture with gold-earrings and spiky hair. 😆
The two-room long house unit is obviously too small for his family of five and Ramu also expressed his concern about the frequent fights in the area that’s usually gang-related.
However, Ramu is aware that this is the only place his mother, S. Shanti, could afford at the moment. Having lost six of her fingers in an accident, Ramu’s mother earns RM300 a month working as a cleaner and they also receive RM160 monthly aid from the welfare department.
Life goes on: Ramu works hard to support his family, as his mother only earns a meagre salary as a cleaner, after losing six fingers in her previous job.
Living in a single parent home is becoming increasingly difficult for Ramu who is looking for a day job to fast track the plan to move out. He used to work as a despatch clerk earning RM1,000 a month but having lost the job recently, he’s currently employed as a van driver earning RM500 a month.
Having left school at Year Six, he wants to learn English too, so he could get a better job. “I don’t mind getting another job and working hard for a better life,” said Ramu.
Be strong in the face of adversity: Cousins Suria Thalapathy Palaya (back) and Sivaraj Mogan.
For Soh Wei Xin role models are hard to come by but she looks up to her cousin sister and intends to follow her footsteps and become a beautician. “My cousin does bridal wedding and makes a lot of money. Once I become a beautician I can buy things for my younger sisters, like new cellphones,” said Wei Xin, 16, the eldest of four children.
Life has been tough for Wei Xin after she lost her father in an accident but she has not resigned to fate. She studies hard and attends tuition classes to get good grades. “This hardship is temporary, once I complete my studies I may have to work for a while to save some money for the beauty course. But once I start earning, things are bound to get better,” said Wei Xin. Her mother, Yap Yoke Kim, hopes for a better life for all her children.
Despite being young, some of these youths have a general idea of what they want to do once they complete their studies.
However, these are not your typical ambitions. Suria Thalapathy Palaya for instance wants to be a wireman. “My friend’s brother is a wireman. You can earn up to RM3,000, and it gets better if you get more contracts. After SPM I want to enter a college that teaches wiring,” said Suria, who does part-time electrical jobs after school.
As the only child, he knows that once day he has to shoulder the main responsibility and take care of his mother. Suria’s father left when he was five and his sole aim now is to make enough money and improve his family’s living condition.
The dreams and determination of these teenagers certainly do not match the size of the house they live in. “When I grow up, I want to be an engineer. I want to build big buildings,” says Sivaraj Mogan, 13, with a big smile.
Perhaps Sivaraj’s penchant for large buildings stem from the fact that he shares one bedroom with his mother and five other younger siblings.
Apart from the space constraint, money is of course the perennial issue. His mother, Tamarai Ganapathy earns RM500 as a park cleaner and there was no water supply in his house for three months because his mother couldn’t settle the bills.
However the pint-sized boy is highly determined and has no qualms doing part time jobs to earn additional income for the family. He currently distributes pamphlets during the weekend that earns him RM7.50 for half a day and RM15 for a full day. “It’s tiring but it’s fun. I give the money to my mother,” says Sivaraj.
