Family of seven lives in makeshift hut

New Straits Times

02-06-2025

KUALA BERANG: Struggling to make ends meet, Mat Nasir Ismail from Kampung Paya Besar dreams of offering a better life to his wife and family.
Due to financial hardship and the inability to pay rent, the 48-year-old father and his wife, Mazilah Mansor, 47, have been living with their five children, including one with disabilities, in a makeshift hut in a forested area of the village since March.
The family resides in a roughly three-metre-long by 1.52-metre-wide hut without walls, with only a thin layer of cement as flooring.
Mat Nasir also built another small hut out of discarded materials to serve as a kitchen and sleeping area for his child and daughter-in-law, Nur Syazwanie Natasha Mohd Zafri, 19.
Earning about RM600 a month doing odd jobs such as spraying pesticides and clearing orchards, Mat Nasir said he had moved house 20 times after failing to afford monthly rent of RM400.
"Although the hut we live in lacks basic amenities like electricity and water, and there's a constant threat from wild animals, including snakes, we accept our fate because we simply can't afford to rent a house," he said.
He admitted that he constantly worries about dangers from creatures such as snakes, centipedes, and scorpions, especially at night.
"We were almost attacked by a python while trying to set up a small tent to sleep, but fortunately my son, Muhammad Hafiszuddin, 22, noticed it just in time," he said.
The family relies on river water located about 150 metres from the hut for washing, cooking, and bathing.
"Although a kind individual donated a water pump to channel river water into a storage tank, we often have to carry water in containers, especially when the pump breaks down," said Mat Nasir, who supplements his income with RM700 a month in aid he recieves from the Social Welfare Department and RM1,800 annually in subsistence assistance from the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council.
He said the money is used to purchase building materials like cement and bricks to gradually construct a proper home.
The financial aid also helps cover schooling costs for his two children, Muhammad Ramadan, 13, who attends Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Berang, and Muhammad Asyraf Muharam, 11, who studies at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Ampuan Intan.
"We have also applied for housing assistance, but our application was not approved," he added.
Meanwhile, Kuala Berang state legislative assembly coordinating secretary Mohd Sapawi Shamsuddin said Mat Nasir and his family had been offered temporary accommodation free of charge at the Orang Kuala Berang (OKB) building, while efforts are made to secure proper housing assistance.
"We have contacted the Kuala Berang constituency chief secretariat, Jalaludin Ismail, and he has agreed to provide free lodging at the OKB building for Mat Nasir," he said.