A hand from Rela gets girl to convo on time

Rela to the rescue: The graduate getting help to strap on her helmet before she was biked off to the hall to get her scroll. — Photo from social media

PETALING JAYA: A Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) graduate almost missed her convocation day due to a traffic jam, but a Rela officer came to her rescue.

In a scene captured on video, the graduate, who was wearing her convocation robes, is seen riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by a female Rela member.

The videoclip that went viral on TikTok amused many who left positive comments and commended the Rela member.

The graduate’s sister, who recorded the video clip, said they were caught in a traffic jam at the UiTM Shah Alam main campus on convocation day.

“We left our house at Setia Alam, Bukit Raja at about 12.30pm. It takes 20 minutes to get to campus.

“But we had miscalculated. Traffic came to a halt at the campus gate,” she said, adding that her sister had to be in the hall before 1.30pm.

The traffic congestion began from outside the campus gate due to it being peak hour and several convocation ceremonies happening concurrently.

“When we managed to get inside the campus, it was already quite late, but we thought that we still had time as it wasn’t even 1pm yet,” said the woman, who was quoted by The Star’s Malay-language portal mStar.

However, as they continued to drive towards the convocation hall, they got stuck in a worse traffic snarl-up.

“We realised that we might not make it to the hall in time.

“It would have been a very long walk if my sister went on foot, plus the day was very hot and her makeup would melt,” she added.

The woman said they saw the Rela officer who was monitoring traffic at the junction and decided to ask her for help.

“The Rela officer immediately agreed to help and took my sister on her motorcycle to the hall.

“Because of her , my sister arrived on time and got to go on stage to receive her scroll,” said the woman.

She advised students going for their convocation ceremony to be on campus at least two hours earlier.

In the comments section, TikTok users thanked the Rela officer and said that it was a sweet memory that only comes once in a lifetime.

“It’s so cute that the Kak Rela helped put on the girl’s helmet,” said one commenter.

Another asked the graduate’s family to treat the Rela member to a meal to thank her.

“Congratulations, this is a real sweet moment. You can tell your kids and grandkids about it,” said another user.