BY: AHMAD REYHAN

It’s a cold, rainy night and Kak Tijah huddles at a corner of the five foot way of CIMB Bank in Bangsar and gives passers-by a toothless grin as she sells her ‘kerepek’ (snacks and tidbits) since lunch time.

Over at the bus stop, opposite the bank, a bubbling and cheerful Mei Ling, who works as a receptionist in a hair salon, is waiting for the RapidKL feeder bus to take a ride to LRT Bangsar for onward transmission to her home in Jalan Klang Lama.

Just waiting for his last few customers is Kula, the ‘puttu mayam’ man, outside the famous Bangsar landmark of the TMC Supermarket and he gives a broad grin and thumbs up to say his sales have been good for the day.

These are the unsung heroes of Malaysia that most people do not recognise, yet they are really the backbone of the national economy and it is amazing how after 10 or twelve hours of hard work they can still afford to share smiles with everyone.

There are yet many others like them and it is necessary and important that their hard, honest work and services are appreciated and acknowledged by us for without them the economy will fail to function.

These are people, who like the Malay saying: “Senyum lah walaupun beban berat,” (Smile though your burdens are heavy) and they epitomise the spirit of never giving up and never saying die though theirs is a daily struggle for survival.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher