Homeless celebrate Raya on quiet streets of Kuala Lumpur
MOHD AZLIM ZAINURY23 Apr 2023 08:59am
In an unanmed alley, Along (right) celebrates Raya in silence
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Most of them do not have families, some have been abandoned by their children and siblings, but they still happily live on the streets to welcome the festival.
A 38-year-old woman, who wants to be known as Along, said that she has been homeless for 10 years and Raya has been bleak since then.
Her company are the shimmering street lights on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, here, and the deafening sound of vehicles.
"Most residents were busy shopping til Raya eve and the roads were deserted after as people went back to their hometowns.
"I don't go back to my hometown because I don't have any siblings, and I haven't celebrated Raya in 10 years but the food is okay, many people give food," she told Sinar Harian.
In ab unnamed alley, Along, who also suffers from hepatitis C continues to fast simply on the streets and break fast with friends.
"That's good enough for us, and we are grateful that there are still people who appreciate us," said Along, who is from the capital city.
Meanwhile, her friend, Sukimin Sarijo, 64, admitted that it was not strange to break fast and celebrate Raya along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
"I have been in this situation for five years, and this place is considered my home to shelter from the rain and heat," he told Sinar Harian.
Sukimin (right) lives along the streets of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Another homeless man, who only wants to be known as Ahmad in his 50s, said that he has separated from his wife and has been abandoned by other family members because he used to be a drug addict.
"Actually, we also want to celebrate Raya but we do not have any family left and even if we do, they don't want to accept marginalised people like us," he said.
Having been homeless for more than five years in Chow Kit and under the bridges around the capital city, Ahmad also acknowledged that he could never return to a normal life.
