The DAP lawmaker related the matter in a Facebook post yesterday and at the time this article was written, the post has been liked more than 7,400 times, shared over 1,800 times, and received 1,500 comments.
According to the post, Sim was alerted of the plight of the elderly man, identified as Uncle Kanda, by a Malay woman lawyer. The man had been sleeping rough on a smelly, mouldy mattress, at a wet market in Bukit Mertajam, after it is closed for the day.
Sim rushed back from work in Malacca and when he reached the market at 2am, he spotted the man sleeping at the corridor of the market.
"I took the uncle to a nearby hotel and he told me that it has been six months since he last slept on a bed," Sim wrote.
The next morning, Sim took Uncle Kanda to a shop to buy new clothes, and a medical check-up.
He later found out that Uncle Kanda's motorcycle, which was damaged in the accident, had already been repaired, but was stranded at the workshop as he could not afford to pay the RM570 repair bill.
The motorcycle workshop owner offered to lower the bill amount when approached by Sim, but the old motorcycle was problematic again, due to being stranded for a long time at the shop.
Sim then offered to foot the RM1,100 overhaul bill, as long as "uncle got back his bike."
The politician also found a job for Uncle Kanda, as a security guard, which pays about RM1,200 a month.
Sim also secured Uncle Kanda a rental house, pending the approval of a state housing project under his name. Till then, he will pay the rent.
"Now, Uncle Kanda has a new house. He does not have to wake up at dawn to avoid traders and visitors to the market.
"He does not have to sleep on a smelly and mouldy mattress, shower in a public toilet, and rely on public handouts for meals. I'm sorry for being late, but I promise that I will never ever let Uncle Kanda sleep on the streets again," he wrote.
Sejak kisah Puan Ros, ramai yang mesej saya untuk minta bantuan. Saya janji akan bekerja keras membantu seramai yang...
Posted by Steven Sim Chee Keong 沈志强 on Thursday, 8 April 2021
Netizens unanimously praised Sim for kindness. No information was provided about Uncle Kanda's family, and how he was rendered homeless.
This is not the first time Sim had come to the aid of his suffering constituents.
Earlier this month, he wrote about helping out a mother of 10 who had been chased out of her house for failing to pay the rent.
Sim then brought the family to a nearby hypermarket to get them two trollies full of grocery, and bought them lunch, a new refrigerator, blender, a tablet computer for the eldest child, and new clothes for the upcoming Hari Raya.
He also secured a new house for the family - the rental of which he will foot, until they secure a state housing project.
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Posted by Steven Sim Chee Keong 沈志强 on Saturday, 3 April 2021
Very well done Sir! If all elected representatives were as humane and people-centric as you, the country will be a much better place to live in.
Source: Astro awani/Steven Sim Facebook
Photos source: Steven Sim Facebook