Anwar touched by boy’s plantation journey to meet him in Segamat, gifts bicycle after visit

JOHOR BAHRU, July 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today shared the heartwarming story of nine-year-old Muhammad Afif Ikhwan, who travelled through an oil palm plantation with his grandmother in the hope of meeting him.

He said the short encounter with the boy during a programme at Felda Palong Timur in Segamat had made a deep impression on him, prompting him to send someone to visit him and present him with a bicycle.

“What may appear to us as a small dream was, in fact, big enough to move his grandmother, Rosimah Mohammad, to ride a motorcycle through an oil palm plantation to fulfil her grandson’s wish.

“His little hand reached through the crowd, and we shook hands before bringing him onto the stage at Felda Palong Timur, Segamat, recently.

“I never expected that such a brief moment would carry such great meaning for Afif,” he said in a Facebook post today.

No matter how busy we are managing the affairs of the country and facing various major challenges, we must never lose our compassion in reaching out to others and showing humanity, he said.

The Prime Minister also hoped that the encounter would become a cherished memory that would inspire Muhammad Afif to continue his studies and contribute to his family, community and country in the future.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that Rosimah, 58, from Kampung Pudu, Segamat, rode a motorcycle along oil palm plantation tracks solely to give her grandson the opportunity to see the Prime Minister up close. — Bernama