Zakat-supported family seeks electricity connection for new home
Translated from Malay and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- A low-income family in Kampung Pagi, Jerantut, has waited nearly a year to move into a new home built with assistance from the Pahang Islamic Religious Council.
- Bahari Ahmad said the house was completed in October 2025 but still lacks electricity, while his family of seven lives in an aging workersโ quarters.
- The familyโs current shelter has termite damage and a leaking roof, with water and electricity supplied from a nearby swiftlet house.
A low-income family in Kampung Pagi, Ulu Tembeling, has been waiting nearly a year to move into a new home because its electricity supply has not yet been connected.
Bahari Ahmad, 50, said the house was built in June 2025 and completed in October under an assistance application made through the Kampung Pagi Asnaf Brigade. The home was funded by the Pahang Islamic Religious Council, known as MUIP.
When the application for housing aid was approved and construction began, my wife, Raziah Sim, and I thought we could move in immediately. We could not wait to live in the new home built with MUIP zakat assistance.
โWhen the application for housing aid was approved and construction began, my wife, Raziah Sim, and I thought we could move in immediately. We could not wait to live in the new home built with MUIP zakat assistance,โ Bahari said.
It has been nearly a year of waiting. The electricity should have been connected so that my family and I could move here.
Instead, Bahari, his wife and their five children have continued living in workersโ quarters at a swiftlet breeding facility, where they have stayed since 2021. Bahari said he earns about RM800 a month from various jobs in the village and had previously been unable to afford either land or a house.
The quarters are now in poor condition. Termites have weakened the structure, the roof leaks during rain and the building could collapse at any time, Bahari said. The family receives its water and electricity through connections from the swiftlet house. โIt has been nearly a year of waiting. The electricity should have been connected so that my family and I could move here,โ he said.
The workersโ quarters where I live have deteriorated because of termites, the roof leaks when it rains and they could collapse at any time.
Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.