Homeless in KL
Many from the rural areas seeking jobs and a better future in the city are left stranded by errant agents and seek shelter along the Klang River near Jalan Syed Putra.
Many rural youngsters seeking jobs and a better future in the city end up seeking shelter along the Klang River near Jalan Syed Putra because errant agents have duped them.
THE bridge over the Klang River near Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur, is home to about 80 people chasing the big city dream.
Many are from the rural areas who have been promised good jobs by unscrupulous agents but end up penniless.
Others have simply lost their way in life and end up here after becoming addicted to cheap drugs and liquor.
There are even people with families who find the stress-free lifestyle with no rent to pay appealing.
Mohamad, 39, who hails from Sabah was drying his shirt along the railing dividing the river from the main road when we approached him one evening.
“I have a job interview tomorrow and it is my only nice shirt and I need to look good in order to make an impression.
“I haven’t had any luck so far,’’ he said, adding that he needed a job that pays at least RM100 a day or else it was going to be tough making ends meet in KL.
Having been in the city for less than two weeks, he was already broke and had no place to stay.
“I was told about the bridge people and that I could stay here as long as I minded my own business,’’ he said.
Like many others before him, Mohamad left his home town to look for a job in Kuala Lumpur. He promised his wife and three children that he would not return until he was stable and had secured a well-paying job.
However, once he arrived in Kuala Lumpur it did not take him long to realise that he was a victim of a rogue agent who absconded with his money.
“I do have relatives here but it is