5 April 2019
Saya berasal daripada keluarga penoreh getah yang miskin di Sri Telemong. Adik beradik pula ramai.
Banyak pengalaman pahit ketika zaman kanak- kanak masih tidak dapat dilupakan hingga hari ini, hinggakan kadang-kadang dibawa dalam mimpi.
Semasa kecil, saya akan berasa tertekan setiap kali menjelang musim tengkujuh.
Tengkujuh bererti tiada pendapatan untuk keluarga.
Setiap hari saya ke sekolah penuh perasaan gusar kerana saya tahu tambang bas bulanan masih belum dibayar. Ayah cuma mampu berdiam diri apabila ditanya.
Semasa perjalanan bas pulang dari sekolah, hati saya akan kecut apabila ternampak konduktor bas. Sudah masuk pertengahan bulan namun tambang bas masih belum dibayar.
Sebagai seorang ketua darjah ketika itu, saya tahu ini merupakan perkara yang salah. Tapi ia sesuatu di luar kawalan saya.
Saya berasa amat malu setelah kerap kali dimarahi dan dimaki konduktor bas tersebut.
Selepas beberapa kali dimarahi, saya akan dihalau turun dari bas walaupun pada ketika itu masih ada separuh perjalanan sebelum tiba di rumah
saya.
Di bawah terik matahari, saya terpaksa jalan kaki balik ke rumah sambil dilanda perasaan yang amat malu. Sehingga kini perasaan demikian masih kekal di ingatan.
Tiga orang kakak sulung saya terpaksa berhenti belajar di peringkat sekolah rendah lagi kerana keluarga tidak mampu membayar tambang bas sekolah.
Saya tidak ingin melihat keluarga miskin melalui kesengsaraan yang sama.
Saya tidak mahu melihat atau mendengar terdapat mana-mana anak kita yang terpaksa berhenti sekolah kerana tidak mampu membayar tambang bas sekolah.
Tiada anak-anak yang patut dinafikan pendidikan disebabkan kemiskinan.
Justeru itu, saya telah menggunakan peruntukan Parlimen Bentong untuk menaja tambang bas bulanan bagi murid-murid sekolah, yang kebanyakannya berasal daripada golongan keluarga estet yang berpendapatan rendah.
Saya berharap usaha ini dapat menggalakkan mereka untuk belajar bersungguh-sungguh dan menguatkan ketabahan untuk mengharungi kesusahan demi masa depan yang cerah.
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I came from a poor family of rubber tappers in Sri Telemong. We were a big family with many siblings.
I can still remember vividly many of my childhood experiences. At times, I found myself succumbed by many emotions.
There were moments , I even dreamt about it. Images of those hard times never left me.
I often felt fearful whenever rainy season comes .
It would mean no income for the family.
Everyday I went to school with so much fear, knowing that the bus fare for that month had not been paid.
My father could only give a silent look when I asked for the bus fare.
While traveling back from school on the bus, my heart skipped, and body cringed whenever i see the conductor. It’s middle of the month and the bus fare has still not been paid.
Even though I was the class monitor, I knew I had done something wrong, yet it was something not within my control.
The feelings of shame and humiliation due to constant scoldings from the bus conductor was too hard to bear for a young school boy like me .
After a few times of scolding, the bus conductor would chased me off the bus halfway home.
I had to walk home under the hot sun with a sense of loss, desperation and humiliation -those feelings would haunt me till present day.
The inability to afford the bus fare was also the main reason my three elder sisters didn’t get to complete their primary education.
Thus, I made a vow never to let any poor family to face this very burden that I suffered as a child.
I don’t wish to see or hear children failed to finish schooling due to this factor.
No child should be deprived of education due to poverty.
Therefore, I have used the allocation for Parliament Bentong to sponsor bus fares for school children of estate workers with low income.
This gesture is a token of encouragement for them to study hard in overcoming poverty.
I told them that as long as they persevere, the future will open up for them.
