MY SON IS ACCEPTED TO A BOARDING SCHOOL

"Daddy, I got to be selected into the school that our MB went to." "Congratulation my son. Pursue your dream. Maybe one day you may be like YAB Ir Hj Nizar", I said to my son, who admires Hj Nizar to be his idol.

"But Daddy, I am very sad that my friend Samad can't go with me. He really wants to go. He has all the talents to be an engineer, his result is even better than mine", my son replied.

"His father is a retired army, and he is odd jobs now. Samad is the eldest and all his younger brothers are schooling too. His mother is just a UTP cleaner. Surely they can't afford to pay for all the expenses", my son's tone of voice showed sadness. " Dad, he is my best friend, you know that."

My son was right. Samad is a regular at my house. He eats and sleeps in my small home. I could see his face that he how he wishes to be my son. His father makes just enough to make ends meet. Luxury is not in their list. Just to survive with his ailing mother-in-law.

How i wish things could have been different.

I know Samad always dreams to have

-a rich father,

-a UTP senior executive father,

-a rich grandmother with 40-acre rubber plantation,

-a father who works at a multi-international firm earning a lot,

-a few professional brothers or sisters who surely can help,

-some philanthropists to solve his predicament,

-me as a father.

I always wonder if Samad's father is included in the Felcra scheme. Maybe he can get money from them. A 5-acre palm oils farm really would help. A question popped to him but to my surprise, he was denied to get the land for reasons he could not understand. He said he is not an opposition member. He risked his life to climb trees to put their flags during last election. He sacrificed his sleeps to prepare meals for people. He did his best to ensure winning for his party. But, as a return for his unlimited helps, only a trip to Putrajaya with RM50 pocket money.

I also wondered, why on earth did some people get the lands, some even with steady monthly income. I wondered what do they do with the "easy money". Buying new set of furniture - a Jati Jepara maybe, a new set of jewelery, or a brand new set of 42" SONY LCD TV. The list may be different but Samad really needs the money, desperately.

The registration is on 23rd February, may be they still have time to get at least RM1000 for new uniforms, stationery, pocket money, food and so on. Maybe he can see the YB's or go to Lembaga Islam PERAK for tithe money, maybe HE JUST HAS TO FORGET HIS DREAM!