PETALING JAYA: In a heartening display of Malaysian unity and generosity, a group of Chinese residents from a small housing area in Ladang Bikam, Perak, offered a helping hand to Malay travellers returning to Kuala Lumpur after the Hari Raya festivities.
Zairul Annuar shared a touching encounter when he and wife made their congested journey back to the city in a Facebook video post, which can be seen below.
Navigating away from the gridlocked highway from Simpang Pulai, the couple turned to Google Maps for a smoother passage, only to find themselves on a seemingly promising detour through village roads.
The route, however, led them to an unexpected dead end—into the darkness of a palm oil plantation, where the road was unpaved and unfit for cars to pass by.
They were approached by local Chinese men with a surprising offer of help after they made a u-turn and reached a residential area.
Zairul, who was stopped by a middle-aged Chinese man, said the man told him that the residents there will help fix the road using a backhoe so that they could pass through.
"There was an accident at Ladang Bikam road causing the traffic jams," a middle-aged Chinese man told Zairul.
"This is just a quick job. The road had a bit of a hill, difficult for regular cars to pass. Now, we've levelled it so everyone can pass through," said another resident.
Zairul was touched by the concerted move, he wrote: "My heart was touched. The people of Perak are impressive. Powerful. This is truly the spirit of Malaysia."
The couple, which departed from Ipoh at 7.30pm, arrived at their destination in Nilai at 2am.
Zairul’s sharing attracted reactions from Malaysians of different walks of life.
Nurul Shahida wrote: "The residents were great... I’m moved by the story."
Another user, Pemerhati Bebas wrote: "This is the Malaysia that I want..God bless the good souls."
As of press time, the Facebook post had been shared over 4,800 times.
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