Bathma a/p Selvaraj was born in estate areas where some of the hardcore poor reside. When she was at a young age, her mother ran away with another man and left Bathma and her siblings to fend for themselves at a young age. Also, she was born in a house and the authorities could not issue her a birth certificate and hence has no identity card till today.
Years later Bathma’s situation is not any better – if not worse. She lives with her husband, Manimaran, aged 39, and two sons, aged 6 and 8. They now stay in a low-cost government flat in after being shifted out from squatter settlements a few years ago. Her husband, a construction worker and Bathma, a sweeper worked hard to make ends meet but earned meager salaries.
However as of late they have been struggling to keep up with their bill payments. Their house has been without electricity and water for the past few months. Even the house itself was not spared when banking authorities attempted several times to claim the house for auctioning. Her neighbors & Mr. Henry or also known as Pastor Henry, has been assisting the family by providing the bare necessities but as for now, the war is far from over.
Recently, with the help of the NGO, they managed to trace and locate Bathma’s biological mother. Her mother refused to acknowledge any kinship with her claiming that it will jeopardize her relationship with her new family.
Things did not go better as disaster struck. Her husband encountered a workplace accident where boiling tar fell onto him causing 90% of his body to burn (third degree burns). At the time of interview, it was stated that the doctors’ opinions on her husband were not promising.
“Dia tak boleh ingat kita..” (He cannot remember us), Bathma said solemnly when asked about her husband’s condition. Approximately a few weeks later, her husband passed away due to the severe damage of his vital organs.
When my team and I visited her house, it looked empty but clean. But we knew not to judge a book by its cover and it was proven so when she later revealed to us the multitude of unpaid bills. These include quit rent, electrical bills, water bills, kindergarten fees, house insurance fees and bus transportation fees (Kindergarten and the primary school is not near to their house).
Although she has taken many beatings in life, she shows no signs of giving up. In addition to her old job, she is undertaking another cleaning job with another low-cost apartment nearby. She also stated that they actually stayed in a kampong but the area was burned down. The government subsidized a small amount of the total amount cost of the low cost apartment which she currently stays in. They had to fork out a huge amount to purchase the low cost apartment which causes them to face challenges till today. She now works from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m earning only RM 800 in total.
When we asked her what would she hope for in the distant future, she answers in silent anguish, “Saya dengan suami saya susah tak apa, asalkan anak boleh sekolah. Sekarang saya ada dua kerja, bolehlah. Tapi bill mahu kasi bayar..” (It’s alright for my husband and I to suffer, so long as my children can get the education they deserve. It is better now that I have two jobs, but I have to pay the bills for any of that to happen).
And we thought we knew what rock bottom was.
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