PETALING JAYA: A 70-year-old Bangladeshi cleaner working in a mall in Klang is finally returning home after working for 31 years in Malaysia.
Speaking to the Instagram page, Humans of Kuala Lumpur, Abu Bakar said he left his homeland of Bangladesh 31 years ago when his fifth child was only six months old.
"I have never returned since. I miss my family, and they miss me too. But all of this has been for them. I did all this for their future," said Abu, whose daughter is now a judge and two other sons a doctor and an engineer.
He said he came to Malaysia because he had heard there were many job opportunities here.
"Even if it meant doing jobs that others didn’t want to do, I would do them. And I have been doing so seven days a week, 365 days a year, for the past 27 years.
"I have never taken sick leave or a day off. And I am still strong, God willing," said Abu, who is the most senior among his colleagues.
He was speaking in an interview after his working group won an award for the Cleanest Public Toilet (Shopping Malls) by the Klang Royal City Council.
Describing himself as a man of simple needs, Abu Bakar sends a large part of his earnings to his family back in Bangladesh.
"I wake up, I bathe, I have breakfast, I go to work, I come home, I talk to my family back in the village on the phone, I rest, and the same routine repeats the next day, and the day after that.
"One of my daughters is now a judge, another a doctor, and my son is an engineer. I am grateful for what they have achieved," said Abu, adding that in the years that he has worked here, he has made a few friends in Malaysia.
"This December, I will return to my village for good and finally reunite with my family. It will also be the first time I meet my two grandchildren.
"I can hardly wait," he said.
The post has garnered well wishes from netizens with some wishing the 'uncle' a safe journey home.
"Safe travels, uncle. Wishing you happiness always. Thank you for working in our country... We truly appreciate it," wrote isme_medina.
"How great is the sacrifice of a father. Travelling to another country just to earn a living for his family in the village for 27 years... May his children take good care of him, just as he has sacrificed for them all these years," said azraiyusni.
Another Instagram account holder, rohana_azhari, said she didn't realise that she was crying while reading the post.
"Many things must have changed (since he was back)," she said.
