Freshly plucked: Loh presenting some eggplants from his garden as gratitude to Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah when she visited him and his wife at their home in Pontian.
PONTIAN: Loh Chai Hwee and his wife Tey Be Yok are an impoverished, elderly couple living in a small house in Kampung Api Api here, but they will always remember the day the Queen herself stepped into their home.
All they had was vegetable produce from their garden and they presented Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, with some eggplants and vegetables when she visited them several months ago.
“We were shocked when the villagers said the Queen would be making a surprise visit to our home,” Loh, 80, said.
His wife Teh is 76.
“The Queen came with a lot of officials. This was the first time we met her in person and she spent some time to talk to us and learn about our plight.
“The Queen was so kind to give us a table, chairs and a cash donation. Her Majesty also got our home repaired.
“The Queen also agreed to pay for our water and electricity bills,” said Loh, who used to be a fisherman.
He earns about RM300 each month selling bananas and vegetables to nearby residents.
“On certain days, we only have rice, soy sauce and anchovies for our meals,” he said, adding that his wife has knee pains and cannot stand for too long.
Loh said they don’t have children and depended on relatives and friends to provide them with household provisions.
“Sometimes, we worry about our future as we get older,” he said, adding that he hoped the government can provide them with welfare aid.
The couple said they are proud that Their Majesties Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith have been made King and Queen of Malaysia.
“I’m sure Their Majesties will help the people – not just Johoreans, but all Malaysians,” they added.
Raja Zarith, a Perak-born princess and an Oxford University graduate, has been actively involved in welfare activities with various non-governmental organisations over the years.
The Queen is the Royal Adviser to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, chairman of the Raja Zarith Sofiah Foundation in Johor, and also chairman of the Tunku Laksamana Johor Foundation. She is also the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
Among Her Majesty’s welfare-related initiatives are the setting-up of “Because We Care” Chancellor’s Fund to look into the welfare of B40 students in UTM in 2016, working with Johor Corporation to upgrade Hospital Sultanah Aminah’s haematology ward and working with the Johor Women’s League (Jewel) to launch “TinDak” campaign in 2017 to focus on the protection of children from abuse.
The Queen is also a prolific writer who has written four children’s books.
Raja Zarith was bestowed with the title of Permaisuri of Johor during Sultan Ibrahim’s coronation on May 23, 2015.
