Latest news with #MatNasir
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
KKDW steps in to help struggling family living in rundown hut
KUALA BERANG: The plight of a family of eight living in a dilapidated hut in Kampung Paya Besar has drawn the attention of the Terengganu office of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW), which has pledged to help provide them with a more comfortable home. Terengganu KKDW director Md Razi Md Lazim said he had personally visited the family of Mat Nasir Ismail, 48, who has a 13-year-old son with a learning disability, to assess their living conditions. He said the family's financial difficulties had forced them to move frequently, affecting both their quality of life and the education of their two school-going children. 'We are working to resolve their housing issue. A new home will be provided, complete with electricity and water supply. 'For now, we'll repair and upgrade their current shelter, with the aim of completing it before Hari Raya Haji so they can live in safer and more dignified conditions,' he said when met in Kampung Paya Besar today. Mat Nasir's wife, Mazilah Mansor, 47, expressed her heartfelt thanks to KKDW for the assistance extended to her family. She hopes the help will mark a turning point in their lives, having endured years without electricity or clean water. Their hardship came to light after media reports highlighted that the family was living in a hut deep in the forest, with no walls or doors. Adding to the burden, Mat Nasir suffers from chronic asthma, which has long prevented him from doing physically demanding work to support his family. Two of their five children — Muhammad Ramadan, 13, and Muhammad Asyraf Muharam, 11 — are currently studying at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Berang and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tengku Ampuan Intan, respectively.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Help on the way for family living in makeshift hut
KUALA BERANG: The plight of a family living in a makeshift hut may soon end, following intervention by the state Rural and Regional Development Ministry office. State Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Rozi Mamat said the office has been instructed to urgently address the housing needs of Mat Nasir Ismail, 48, from Kampung Paya Besar, Kuala Berang. "We have contacted the state director, Md Razi Md Lazim, to address Mat Nasir's situation, who is currently living in a makeshift hut with his wife, five children, and a daughter-in-law. "We will also reach out to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to request urgent approval of funds for the construction of a proper house for Mat Nasir and his family," he said after visiting the family yesterday. It was previously reported that Mat Nasir, his wife Mazilah Mansor, 47, and their five children, including a child with disabilities, aged between 11 and 22, and a daughter-in-law, have been living in a makeshift hut in the village due to financial hardship and inability to pay rent. Following the report, various parties have stepped in to help, including launching a donation drive to cover part of the water piping work and the estimated RM2,000 needed for meter installation. Meanwhile, several officers from the Hulu Terengganu land office, the Social Welfare Department and the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maidam) also visited the family to offer assistance. Maidam chief executive officer Associate Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan said based on the council's aid records, Mat Nasir has been receiving monthly aid of RM700 since January. He had been receiving a monthly assistance of RM500 from the council since 2017.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Family of seven lives in makeshift hut
KUALA BERANG: Struggling to make ends meet, Mat Nasir Ismail from Kampung Paya Besar dreams of offering a better life to his wife and family. Due to financial hardship and the inability to pay rent, the 48-year-old father and his wife, Mazilah Mansor, 47, have been living with their five children, including one with disabilities, in a makeshift hut in a forested area of the village since March. The family resides in a roughly three-metre-long by 1.52-metre-wide hut without walls, with only a thin layer of cement as flooring. Mat Nasir also built another small hut out of discarded materials to serve as a kitchen and sleeping area for his child and daughter-in-law, Nur Syazwanie Natasha Mohd Zafri, 19. Earning about RM600 a month doing odd jobs such as spraying pesticides and clearing orchards, Mat Nasir said he had moved house 20 times after failing to afford monthly rent of RM400. "Although the hut we live in lacks basic amenities like electricity and water, and there's a constant threat from wild animals, including snakes, we accept our fate because we simply can't afford to rent a house," he said. He admitted that he constantly worries about dangers from creatures such as snakes, centipedes, and scorpions, especially at night. "We were almost attacked by a python while trying to set up a small tent to sleep, but fortunately my son, Muhammad Hafiszuddin, 22, noticed it just in time," he said. The family relies on river water located about 150 metres from the hut for washing, cooking, and bathing. "Although a kind individual donated a water pump to channel river water into a storage tank, we often have to carry water in containers, especially when the pump breaks down," said Mat Nasir, who supplements his income with RM700 a month in aid he recieves from the Social Welfare Department and RM1,800 annually in subsistence assistance from the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council. He said the money is used to purchase building materials like cement and bricks to gradually construct a proper home. The financial aid also helps cover schooling costs for his two children, Muhammad Ramadan, 13, who attends Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Berang, and Muhammad Asyraf Muharam, 11, who studies at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Ampuan Intan. "We have also applied for housing assistance, but our application was not approved," he added. Meanwhile, Kuala Berang state legislative assembly coordinating secretary Mohd Sapawi Shamsuddin said Mat Nasir and his family had been offered temporary accommodation free of charge at the Orang Kuala Berang (OKB) building, while efforts are made to secure proper housing assistance. "We have contacted the Kuala Berang constituency chief secretariat, Jalaludin Ismail, and he has agreed to provide free lodging at the OKB building for Mat Nasir," he said.
