IPOH, “They could have chosen to sleep instead they were willing to take the trouble to help us navigate our journey that night,” said business advisor Zairul Annuar Mohd Zain, whose video using a ‘rat route’ in Ladang Bikam while heading to Kuala Lumpur to return to Nilai, Negeri Sembilan during the fourth day of Aidilfitri went viral on social media since yesterday.

When contacted by Bernama, Zairul Annuar, 47, admitted he did not expect the video to go viral and be shared by other social media users and local news portals.

He said he somewhat regretted not recording the entire incident starting from when he encountered a group of Chinese men and only managed to record part of the incident.

Describing the journey that night, Zairul Annuar said he, his wife and their 17-year-old son were on their way back to Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, after spending several days celebrating Aidilfitri at a relative’s house in Ipoh since the second day of Aidilfitri.

“Because the Google Maps application indicated a ‘red’ (
congested) notification, I chose to follow the application’s suggestion to take the rat route from Gopeng to Ladang Bikam. There were several cars also taking the same road in front and behind us.

“At that time, it was already 10 pm. Suddenly, a vehicle from the opposite direction stopped and asked us to turn back because the cars wouldn’t pass due to the bad and hilly road. We were disappointed because it meant turning back and facing the traffic jam,” he said before being approached by a group of 10 to 15 Chinese men telling them not to turn back.

Zairul added the men told them to wait before returning with a backhoe to excavate and level the somewhat hilly road until it was flat and passable for vehicles waiting.

“In just 10 to 15 minutes, they said the road was clear, otherwise only four-wheel-drive vehicles could pass. We waited in the car and continued through the rat route. Within a few kilometres, we managed to reach the main road again before continuing our journey to Nilai,” he said.

Zairul Annu
ar, who has been residing in Indonesia for two years, returned to Malaysia for Aidilfitri since the first day of Syawal, shared the story on his Facebook because he wanted to express his gratitude to the group of samaritans.

“I want others to know what I felt. Malaysia has kind-hearted citizens. Despite the different races, our unity remains intact. From the bottom of my heart, if given the chance, I want to meet with the group of men who helped, and thank them again, because on that day (the incident) I didn’t have a chance to talk to them for long,” he said.

The one-minute and 10-second video shared by Zairul Annuar on his Facebook has garnered significant attention from Malaysians. It has been shared 4,800 times, received over 8,000 likes and viewed by more than 420,000 netizens.

The video showed Zairul Annuar and his family traveling via the rat route from Gopeng to Ladang Bikam, Perak, with assistance from a group of Chinese residents who helped them and others returning home for Aidilfitri.

Source:
BERNAMA News Agency