Kuan Chee Heng aka Uncle Kentang is the figurehead of help in the community. He’s never been one to shy away from lending a hand to those in need, like donating mattresses and opening a 10 cents shop.
However, recently, Mr. Kuan’s charity upset some as they felt it was undeserved. Apparently, he sold a second-hand car for RM1 to a woman. Netizens noted she had an expensive iPhone and a branded bag. So, on 28th February, Mr. Kuan took to Facebook to justify his actions.
Netizens complained about the woman after seeing her supposedly branded items. Many felt the help was unnecessary and doubted she needed it. Some even felt Mr. Kuan was misusing their donated money! However, he remained steadfast in his decision to help the woman and he explained why.
“We’ve known this (Malay single mom) for a long time,” he stated. “Her husband has passed away and we funded the funeral expenses. She is a single mother of nine children, four of them are pursuing education.” According to Mr. Kuan, most of the items she owned were donations from others. Additionally, her branded bag is a counterfeit item from the night market. “They live in the PPR flats and she can’t afford expensive phones,” Mr. Kuan clarified.
Mr. Kuan had sold her the car because her Proton Saga had broken down. She needed a vehicle to fetch her kids and for her business. As for selling her the car at only RM1, Mr. Kuan stated that had been a stipulation when they had bought the car. “The car (used to belong) to a woman, who sold it to us for RM1 earlier,” he claimed. “We do not know her, we only know she originally bought this used car at PJ Old Town for RM18,000 and sold it to us for RM1 as charity.” The woman had insisted they sell it to another person at the same price if the need ever arose.
This isn’t the only instance of others being generous. Mr. Kuan recounted instances of people selling and giving them vehicles to donate to others, either at the same price they were bought at or for free. However, he acknowledged that people needed to hear the backstory to understand the situation.
Being transparent is definitely important when it comes to charity. After all, those who donate want to know their donations are being put to good use. Well, all’s well that ends well!
