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New Straits Times
02-06-2025
- 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.
Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Osman Khalid Butt rants about the rain
Actor Osman Khalid Butt took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to share his signature blend of wit and weather commentary, this time on the rainy season in Islamabad. "The thunder, the cool breeze, petrichor, rain in Islamabad makes me believe in love," he wrote, before taking a sharp, humorous turn. "Traffic during rain makes me believe in natural selection." The post quickly resonated with Islamabadis and beyond, capturing the emotional and logistical duality of the city's monsoon season, beloved for its moody skies and fragrant earth, cursed for its traffic jams and waterlogged roads. While many fans replied with memes and their own rainy day photos, others echoed OKB's observation, pointing out the lack of city preparedness for even moderate rainfall. On Friday, intermittent rainfall swept across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, offering brief spells of relief from the heat. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast more showers and thunderstorms over the weekend, particularly in upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. The rain cooled temperatures but also caused localised flooding and traffic snarls in major areas such as Blue Area, F-6, and Faizabad. Commuters reported extended delays due to water accumulation and malfunctioning traffic signals, a seasonal frustration that has come to define urban rain. Osman's online presence continues to strike a chord with fans, blending humour, and relatable observations. In April, the star sparked a wave of early-internet nostalgia with a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "I miss Orkut and waking up one random day to find someone's written you a beautiful testimonial." The post resonated deeply with millennials who came of age during Orkut's heyday, prompting an outpouring of memories. Fans reminisced about the platform's simplicity, sincerity, and lost sense of community. "Good old days," many commented, while others noted how their generation uniquely experienced the shift from Orkut to Facebook and Instagram.
