Dire condition: Saarani (right) speaking with Erwan (in T-shirt) in the latter’s home at the Silibin Flats in Ipoh, Perak. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: An elderly woman who lives with her son in deplorable conditions at the Taman Silibin Flats here will be sent to a welfare home, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
The Perak Mentri Besar said the woman’s 46-year-old son, Erwan Dahari, has agreed to send her to a home where she will be cared for by the state Social Welfare Department (JKM).
“We managed to persuade the son to allow his mother, whom he has been caring for, to be sent to a welfare institution.
“The JKM will look after her,” Saarani told reporters after visiting the family yesterday.
The case came to light after several news outlets reported that Erwan and his mother, Miram Kadir, 77, were living in a unit at the flats filled with rubbish, cats and animal faeces.
Erwan had previously sought treatment for stress and was classified as a person with a mental disability.
He quit his job as a factory worker about seven years ago to care for his mother, who has dementia, full-time.
Both he and his mother have been surviving on the RM500 in baitulmal aid that Miram gets every month from the Perak Islamic Religious Council and Malay Customs.
On Wednesday, Perak social welfare committee chairman Datuk Salbiah Mohamed said a monthly sum of RM900 in welfare aid would be given to the mother and son.
Saarani said their home is not suitable for living, and their plight is something that should not have happened.
“The home can attract snakes, rats and other creepy crawlies and pose a health and safety risk to other residents too,” he said.
As for Erwan, Saarani said he prefers to remain at the unit to look after his cats.
“We asked him to stay at a halfway house, but he wants to continue living at the unit to look after his pets.
“We won’t force him to move on the condition that the unit must be cleaned up and sanitised so that it is livable,” he added.
Saarani stated that State Secretary Datuk Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim will preside over a special meeting to look into cases of underprivileged families who are living in miserable situations.
“I believe this is not the only incident in Perak. It’s a matter of humanity and the responsibility of the state government.
“We may not be able to resolve all cases, but we will see how we can handle the matter holistically,” he said.
