22-07-2025
Poverty-hit grandmother's struggle to raise future engineer
JOHOR BARU: With nothing but a rice cooker to prepare their daily meals and just RM25 in hand from odd jobs, 65-year-old Sharifah Nasir clings to the last threads of strength and dignity — all for the future of her 15-year-old grandson.
For more than a year, this elderly widow has been the sole guardian of Mohamad Sadiq Abdullah, after the boy's parents separated and his father spiralled into violent drug addiction.
Her son, she said, allegedly sank deep into drug abuse.
"I've been caring for my grandson since he was small. I can't bear to see him fall behind just because we're poor," she said, her voice trembling.
Sharifah now rents a single room, having fled their former home in Pulai, where her drug-addicted son repeatedly assaulted them and stripped the house bare — stealing even the fridge, microwave, water filter, and fan to feed his habit.
"He even snatched my nasi lemak sales money every day," she recalled bitterly. "We had to report him to the police and the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) when things turned violent." One night, they were forced to wait outside for hours, too terrified to re-enter.
Although her son has since completed rehabilitation at a drug centre in Selangor, Sharifah says she has no plans to reconnect with him.
Her sole focus now is to keep her grandson safe, clothed, fed — and, she hopes, back in school.
"He dreams of becoming an engineer. He wants to return to school, but we just can't afford it," she said. Sadiq has not attended classes in over a year due to their financial struggles.
Sharifah receives a monthly pension of RM650 from her late husband. Of that, RM450 goes straight to rent. The remainder barely stretches to cover utilities and food.
"Our meals are usually just tempeh, eggs, and tofu," she said quietly.
Cooking is limited to a rice cooker — stoves are not allowed in the rented room. Her own health is deteriorating; she suffers frequent bouts of gastritis.
To survive, she earns RM25 a day helping a friend at a nearby restaurant. Her children, themselves low-income earners or housewives, can only lend a hand during emergencies.
"I've not asked for help from the Welfare Department or the religious authorities — I don't know how to apply," she admitted.
"I just want my grandson to live like any other teenager. I hope one day we'll have a home of our own, even if it's just a low-cost unit or a place under the People's Housing Project," she said, holding onto hope.
