A viral social media post simultaneously invoked the sympathy and ire of Malaysians recently, showing an exhausted school student sleeping on the ground outside a petrol station in Taman Puncak Jalil, Seri Kembangan.
The post was shared on the Taman Puncak Jalil DIGITAL COMMUNITY Facebook page and has since garnered over 5,100 reactions. Attached was a photo of the young boy lying face-down on a raised tiled ledge near the station’s counter and a display rack of motor oil, wearing his school’s sports shirt, school trousers, and shoes.
Parents urged to prioritise safety
Based on the post, it is believed that the schoolboy waited so long for his parents or guardians to pick him up that he fell asleep in that heartbreaking position.
The individual who shared the photo wrote in the caption:
“If you’re a parent picking up your child… Don’t let them wait so long that they fall asleep… Advise your child to lie down in the surau or sit resting against the wall if they’re sleepy…
“This makes him look like he’s homeless… In front of the Petronas station counter where people walk around… I also picked up my child late… But both of them waited inside the Petronas station…”
Malaysians express sympathy and concern over recent hot weather
In the comments section, many Malaysians sympathised with the schoolboy and questioned the whereabouts of his parents or guardians.
Several commenters pointed out that the weather in Taman Puncak Jalil had been scorching over the past few days and expressed hope that the boy would not fall ill from the ordeal.
“I pity the boy. With the hot weather, he was probably hungry after school and ended up falling asleep. Where are his parents?” one netizen wrote.
“Recently, a pupil died because they were too exhausted from a packed schedule of activities. We certainly don’t want our children to be exhausted to that point. This boy might have been thirsty, too. Getting a headache because the weather is so hot. The only remedy for him is really just resting and sleeping. Poor thing,” another commenter said.
Another netizen added, “So sad to see this. Hot and tired. Waiting can be exhausting too. Pity the boy; he fell asleep. I can’t bear to see this.”
Netizens question safety and petrol station staff response
Meanwhile, several Malaysians questioned why the parents did not ask the boy to wait at school, which is a much safer environment than a public location like a petrol station.
“There have been many cases of young people being kidnapped recently. There’s been a case every day,” one netizen claimed.
Additionally, one commenter criticised the petrol station staff for not showing compassion to the schoolboy by offering him a place to rest in the surau.
However, a couple of netizens pointed out that the boy might have been reprimanded and chased away if he had tried to sleep in the surau.
It remains unknown how long the boy was left waiting before his parents or guardians arrived.
What do you guys think of the incident? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Saiful Ridzaimi (saiful.ridzaimi@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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