Fahmi tracks down man with run-down car and helps him to seek eye treatment

PETALING JAYA: Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil tracked down the man who he had poked fun at for driving a run-down car, and even went the extra mile to help him seek treatment for his eyesight.

Fahmi said he looked for the man, Yap Chi Hoe, as he wanted to apologise after much criticism from social media users.

He added that Yap had initially declined to meet him, but had contacted him a few days later after some hesitation.

Contrary to social media allegations, Fahmi said Yap clarified that he was not a Grab driver, nor was he struggling to care for his parents.

The PKR communications chief said that Yap was actually a lorry driver who lived in Klang and that his parents had passed away.

"On Sept 8, Yap was involved in an accident where a container truck had hit him from the back. He was waiting for a tow truck but as he had an appointment to catch, he made the decision to continue to drive the car.

"From our conversation, I also found out that he was having problems with his eyesight that could result in permanent blindness. I then made the decision to get him help," he said on his Facebook page on Wednesday (Oct 16).

Fahmi was previously criticised by Twitter users after he had poked fun of a badly damaged car he had spotted while on the road.

Twitter user Riza Tan then responded that the owner of the car was a friend, claiming that it belonged to a man who was a Grab driver and was earning money to support his parents.

Fahmi then said in a 5.13-minute Facebook video posted on his page that he decided to try and put the matter right because the accusation had gone viral for the wrong reasons.

In the video, Fahmi was standing next to Yap, who was sitting on a hospital bed and

Fahmi said that Yap was suffering from chronic retinal detachment.

"If he did not do an operation, within one or two weeks he would totally lose his eyesight. I asked what we could do, and fortunately Pantai Hospital was willing to cover the whole cost for his eye treatment," he said.

Fahmi also apologised to Yap and hoped that the operation on his eyes would get him back on his feet.

He said that Yap's car is considered a "total loss", but is covered by insurance.