JOHOR BAHRU, March 11 — A surprise visit to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) is nothing unusual for Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, but one encounter with a wheelchair-bound woman remains among the most poignant moments of his time leading the state.
Her simple request for help to buy disposable diapers left a lasting impression on him and revealed the difficult realities still faced by some members of the Bangsa Johor community.
“The woman called out to me from a distance. I went to her and asked how she was doing. When I asked what I could help her with, she said she needed assistance to buy diapers,” he recalled.
“In that moment, I wondered how many more Bangsa Johor are in the same situation, people who are ill and cannot even afford something as basic as diapers. As a leader, I was deeply moved,” said Onn Hafiz in an exclusive interview with Bernama, led by editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, at the Menteri Besar’s Official Residence, recently.
He noted that the moment strengthened his resolve to intensify efforts to eradicate poverty in Johor, stressing that basic necessities should never become a burden for the people.
“That is why the state government will continue striving to help those who are struggling,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said that continuous efforts by the state government had led Johor to achieve zero hardcore poverty two years ago, and is now focusing on assisting more than 4,000 people still classified as poor.
He said the approach aligns with the call by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, for poverty to be addressed comprehensively through cooperation among various parties.
“We are taking a whole-of-nation teamwork approach to ensure the number can be reduced further. I believe that if we truly commit to it, we can lower the figures,” he said.
In June last year, a video of the encounter between Onn Hafiz and the woman during the hospital visit went viral on social media, drawing widespread attention from netizens.
Besides asking for help to obtain diapers, the woman also expressed hope that another hospital could be built in the state to ease congestion at HSA.
More than 5,000 heads of households previously classified as hardcore poor had been lifted out of the category by April last year, a milestone for the state government. Focus has since shifted to the poor category, with 8,249 heads of households recorded as of Oct 31 last year.
The efforts, he said, are part of fulfilling the aspiration of Tunku Mahkota Ismail to ensure that no Johorean remains trapped in poverty. — Bernama
