PPP to help homeless man

IPOH: A homeless and virtually blind man nicknamed Blue and his new-found dog, Sunday, have become something like celebrities here.

For the past two months, 66-year-old George Ooi and his "best friend" have been living under a tree near the People's Progressive Party (PPP) pondok in Ipoh Garden.

Their "home", however, is infested with insects and is also used as a dumping ground for rubbish.

Ooi's plight, however, has touched the hearts of PPP members and they had since conducted a gotong-royong, attended by no less than party president Datuk M. Kayveas, to clean up the place for him.

State PPP vice-chairman Datuk Daniel Tay said: "We plan to build a permanent shade, equipped with a bed, under the tree to protect him from rain. We will also provide him with food and healthcare."

Ooi, who was a top insurance salesman in the 80s in Sungai Petani, has been homeless for 15 years after leaving his sister's home. He also lost contact with two other sisters in their 70s.

He slept anywhere he found "cosy" and safe. As if that was not bad enough, things took a turn for the worse when he was involved in an accident in 2007, causing his eyesight to deteriorate.

He then turned to begging for a living.

Ooi builds a fire under the tree every morning to keep out the mosquitoes and flies.

Occasionally, he is supplied with live fish from well-wishers. These he will keep in a basin under a platform which he uses as a bed and also to cook when he wants to eat.