A food delivery rider in Penang went viral on social media recently, after photos of him with his one-year-old son was shared by a Facebook user who sympathised with him.
The post uploaded by Sgt. Rohayu Mohd Rodzi, who works at the Southwest Traffic Station in Bayan Lepas, has in turn received a lot of attention from netizens, garnering up to 7.6k shares on FB at the time of writing.
A few days after Sgt. Rohayu’s post went viral, the FoodPanda rider, known as Muhammad Razwan has finally opened up on the reason why he had to bring along his son to work. In an interview with Harian Metro, Razwan revealed that he began working as a rider for FoodPanda six months ago. while his wife, Nor Hasliza Abdullah, works as an assistant at a clinic.
Since both him and his wife are working, there isn’t anyone available to look after their youngest son, Muhammad Adam Rizqi.“Actually, ever since I started working as a rider, I’ve been bringing my child because no one is at home to take care of him,” he told Harian Metro.
Razwan further revealed, “My income isn’t enough to pay for childcare because I’m still renting a house for RM400 a month, and even my three other children – aged seven, five and three years old – had to be sent to my wife’s aunt’s house as our finances are still unstable. My working hours are quite flexible so I can bring my son along when picking up and delivering customers’ orders.”
During the chat with the press, the 29-year-old also shared that every time he brings Muhammad Adam Rizqi, he would place his child in a baby carrier strapped to his body. He also said that he would make his son wear a hat to protect his head.
“My son is not fussy, but he is still small. So, he doesn’t understand and has thrown away many hats that I put on him. I need to clarify on this because there are a few netizens who questioned my action of bringing him to work. The fact is, I’m forced to do so. And I would not bring him along if I could afford to hire a babysitter,” Razwan explained.
Razwan also said that although his income is uncertain, he’s still thankful to have a job after being unemployed for several months. For those wondering, he was previously laid off as a janitor at a factory. He shared, “If there are a lot of orders, I can earn around RM500 a week, but there are times when it’s only RM200.”
“Anyway, I’m grateful and thankful for the customers because some of them would give some donations to my son when they meet us. Only God can repay their good deeds. I will be moving to Mak Mandin in Butterworth, and my son will be taken care of by an aunt living nearby,” Razwan concluded.
Source: Harian Metro.
