MELAKA: For Zakaria Mohammed, 70, and his wife Jariah Hassan, 70, the collapse of their village home's roof due to extensive termite damage in June left them in difficult living conditions.
Five months later, the couple were welcoming a special guest to their rebuilt home, having prepared a home-cooked dinner for Datuk Lim Ban Hong as a gesture of appreciation for his help in getting their house rebuilt.
Their daughter, Noradilla Zakaria, 38, said the family had sought Lim's assistance as they were unable to undertake the rebuilding themselves.
"I don't know how to thank him. All five of us are daughters and we each have our own responsibilities. Otherwise, we would have helped rebuild the house ourselves," she said.
She said Lim had personally visited the family to see their plight before bringing representatives from Lembaga Perumahan Melaka (Melaka Housing Board) to look into their situation.
While the house was being rebuilt, her parents stayed in a room that remained in good condition.
Noradilla said Lim visited the family twice during the process and also kept in touch with her through WhatsApp to check on the progress.
With his assistance, the family eventually had a rebuilt home.
Zakaria also recalled another occasion when Lim came to their aid during a flood.
"I contacted him at about 4am and he arrived at the dam by 5am for an inspection before coming over to visit my family later," he said.
The family wanted to express their appreciation personally, so they prepared several dishes and invited Lim over for dinner two nights ago.
Although Lim was occupied with campaign programmes and only managed to reach their home at about 11pm, the family waited for his arrival.
"We are determined to have him over, no matter how late. We want him to have a home-cooked meal with us in our new home, to thank him for what he did to help us.
"We also want to wish him all the best so that he can continue to serve as our assemblyman for Kelebang," Zakaria said.
Lim said hearing the family's words of thanks and sincere prayers meant a lot to him.
"Thank you for the unwavering support of the people of Klebang. We will continue our work," he said.
