Janet in Community News On June 19, 2020, 5:58 pm

Sarawakian Man Tried Walking 80KM To Airport; Kind “Uncle Kentang” Shows Up To Give Him A Ride

Sarawakian man tried to walk to KLIA to get on a flight home

Sarawakian man tried to walk to airport to get on a flight home
Image adapted from: Kuan Chee Heng

It’s safe to say that no one has had it easy during the Movement Control Order (MCO). From facing a contagious virus we all know as COVID-19 to being forced to put our livelihoods on pause, it has certainly been unprecedented times for everyone.

A Malaysian man selling pau with only spare change for one customer is a reality that many who had seen a drop in their income during the MCO have had to face. And now, a Sarawakian man out of job and with no money tried to walk 80KM to KLIA from Selayang just to get on a flight back home.

A 16-hour walk to reach the airport gets interrupted by a generous uncle

The story was shared by Facebook user Kuan Chee Heng on 18th June 2020 in a series of posts on the social media platform. If you didn’t already know, he is a regular do-gooder with an organisation called Kentang Fund that helps raise money to purchase food and daily necessities for those in need in Malaysia. And he often goes by the moniker “Uncle Kentang” – or “Uncle Potato”, as translated from the dialect.

So when a lady called Laura from Sarawak reached out to him through text about her brother from Selayang who was trying to walk to KLIA airport because he had no money, Uncle Kentang was quick to extend a helping hand. And he even showed up in a 12-seater van to escort Laura’s brother to the airport.

Image credit: Kuan Chee Heng

According to Uncle Kentang’s first Facebook post about the story, the man had already walked 2 hours and was in Jalan Kuching when they found him. They had to search for him because they only had his phone number, and Laura didn’t know where he was either, as he had already started on his journey for his 5PM flight.

When they found Laura’s brother, he was also only wearing slippers and carrying a backpack to accompany him on what would have been a 16-hour walk.

A report from Malay Mail shared that the man had been out of work for 3 months during the MCO and had no money left to get himself to the airport. Walking was his only choice to get on the flight that his family had bought for him to return home – and he was more than determined to do so.

On top of the ride, he was also provided with a face mask to keep him safe while on the flight.
Image credit: Kuan Chee Heng

When they arrived at the airport, Uncle Kentang also gave him RM200 in case he got hungry and needed travel fare when he arrived back in Sarawak.

The last post that Uncle Kentang shared updated people who were following the saga that Laura had texted him to let him know that her brother was safe at home, and that she was thankful for what he had done.

Image credit: Kuan Chee Heng

Netizens thank Uncle Kentang’s kindness

Following the reveal, many people flooded Uncle Kentang’s post with praise for his quick action in helping out his fellow Malaysian. Many in Sarawak also came out to thank him for taking care of one of their own, including Welly Gaong, who commented: “Thank you SO much Uncle Kentang, for assisting my fellow Sarawakian.”

Image credit: Welly Gaong

Even though Uncle Kentang brushed off the applause, saying it was a small favour, Kenny Soon brought some perspective to his kind deed, saying, “Your help is not big but it will be remembered by this Sarawak kid for the rest of his life”. That comment garnered him a response from Uncle Kentang, who responded with a “Thank you, sir”.

Image credit: Kenny Soon

Sarawakian man tried to walk to KLIA airport from Selayang

For those who travel, you probably know how difficult the the drive out to KLIA can be, with busy highways and little to no designated pedestrian sidewalks to get there. So we’re more than thankful that Uncle Kentang managed to reach out to this Sarawakian man who was planning a difficult journey, to get him safely to the airport, and on the way home.