UNCLE Charles, as he is known to some city folk, is a 50-year-old autistic man with a round, youthful face.
But that is not why we are writing about him.
Rather, it is because of what happened on Oct 31, during the kenduri rakyat or “people’s reception” hosted by newlyweds Bella Astillah and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman at Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu.
Amid the thousands of people who had gathered for the celebration, Charles approached a RELA member and told him he wanted something to eat.
The member, later identified as Ramlee, offered his arm for Charles to hold on to and slowly guided him down the steps to the food stalls, where thousands of people had crowded just to be part of the party.
Ramlee’s thoughtful gesture was shared on social media, drawing widespread praise from netizens, who described his actions as kind, heartwarming, caring and simply wonderful.
Social activist, entrepreneur and content creator Adrian Edy, who heard about the incident, tracked down both Charles and Ramlee, brought them together for a reunion and presented them with gifts as a gesture of appreciation and encouragement.
“Uncle Charles had travelled from his home in Inanam to Padang Merdeka using an e-hailing service.
“When he arrived, he asked Pakcik Ramlee to guide him to get some food because he was hungry. Pakcik Ramlee then held Uncle Charles’ hand and led him to the food stalls,” Adrian shared on social media.
Adrian said he wanted to bring the two together after hearing about their encounter.
Charles was surprised but happy to meet Ramlee again, and said he was grateful for the assistance because he had been really hungry at the time.
“During the meeting, we chatted a little before buying some fast food for Uncle Charles, as he loves it. We also gave him and Pakcik Ramlee T-shirts from the reception as mementos,” Adrian said.
He added that stories like this were valuable and worth sharing, in the hope that they would inspire others to show kindness to one another.
Adrian also thanked members of the public who helped him track down Charles and Ramlee, making the heartwarming reunion possible.
“In this world full of kind humans, if we are not able to meet with any, then let us become one of them,” he said.
