Surviving on tapioca, decades after Merdeka
The life of a destitute family in Klang harks back to the hungry years of WWII.
(FMT) – But even as our politicians speak of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation within a few years, there is a family in Kampung Delek, Klang, that has been surviving on tapioca for the last 20 years or so.
During the Japanese Occupation, food was so scarce and poverty so widespread that the typical Malaysian survived on tapioca (ubi kayu) and suffered the consequences of malnutrition.
The Japanese occupiers are long gone and not many are left of the generation that lived through those lean years.
But even as our politicians speak of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation within a few years, there is a family in Kampung Delek, Klang, that has been surviving on tapioca for the last 20 years or so.
Kamariah Mohammad’s family has no stable source of income and struggles every day for even one decent meal.
