Naim staff come to the aid of house buyer
WHEN Sergeant Ismail Bin Karim bought Naim Group of Companies’ ‘Citrus’ double-storey terrace home located within Naim Bandar BaruPermyjaya mixed township in 2013, he envisaged a wonderful new chapter for him and his family.
Ismail, who hails from Miri, is attached with the police force, Ismail and his family had been staying at the police quarters all this while. Determined to provide a better quality of life for his family, his purchase of the ‘Citrus’ home was nothing short of a dream come true.
Alas, heavy work commitments prevented him from making arrangements to move into his new home after it was handed over to him in 2015.
“Although we were looking forward to the move, my work schedule became hectic so I had to postpone the move. One thing led to the other and before I knew it, years went by,” Ismail mused.
Hence, Ismail’s house was left vacant for five years.
Early this year, Ismail finally went to check on his property. To his dismay, he discovered the house had fallen into disrepair due to the passage of time.
“Five years is indeed a long time to leave a house empty and without proper maintenance. Sadly, the house fell into disrepair.
“I got very worried about the cost to repair my house. I’m also aware that the defect liability period had long expired. At that point, I really didn’t know what to do,” Ismail said.
Despite feeling uncertain, Ismail persevered and took the leap of faith: he contacted Naim for assistance.
As fate would have it, Naim had embarked on a corporate responsibility programme called ‘Naim Thanks You’, an initiative aimed among others, to help its property purchasers in times of need.
The programme was part of the Group’s 25th anniversary activities focusing on community engagement and enhancement this year, and would form part of the Group’s annual CSR programme in future.
Upon receiving Ismail’s request, a Naim team led by Miri’s regional general manager, Abang Mahathir Mohamed went to inspect Ismail’s house and evaluate the state of disrepair.
Shortly thereafter, Ismail received an unexpected news: Naim had selected him as the recipient of this new CSR programme.
“I’m at a loss for words! When I submitted my request to Naim, I didn’t have any expectation.
“However, I kept pushing myself to give it my last shot. It truly was a prayer answered when Naim reached out to tell me that they have selected me as the recipient for this programme!” Ismail exclaimed.
Naim did not waste any time to get the repair works going, and works on Ismail’s house started at the end of June this year. With Naim contributing the building materials, many volunteers joined hands in a race against time to build Ismail’s house, including Naim staff and contractors who volunteered for the project.
In a true showcase of togetherness and volunteerism, repair works for Ismail’s house were completed on August 8. Many would agree that no words could describe the moment when Ismail looked at the refurbished house.
“I’m grateful for the efforts shown by all volunteers. I never expected that Naim would go to this extent to help me. This is indeed an unexpected blessing! I’ve learned an important lesson:
Although we were looking forward to the move, my work schedule became hectic so I had to postpone the moving. — Sergeant Ismail Bin Karim, House owner
with perseverance and hope, we can overcome the challenges that come our way in life.”
To Naim, the project served as a reminder of how the company became what it is today as a result of the support by the communities.
Naim’s Group deputy managing director, Christina Wong said it was only right to contribute back to our community members, regardless of whether they were purchasers or not.
“We are also looking at ways to address various needs among our communities, such as the need for more affordable homes. In fact, plans are underway to build some 2,500 units of affordable and ‘intelligent’ homes (AI homes) in the next 5 years, part of our new 25 years’ big dream to build AI homes for one million people or more.
“Helping to repair Ismail’s house inspired our staff that what we do matters, and that everyone can make a difference. It was an honour for us to be involved. We wish Ismail all the best in time to come!”