KUALA LUMPUR - Unity is strength. This old saying perfectly describes 11 siblings from Kampung Chasi Tok Uban in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, who pooled their money to gift their parents a new home.
Their story, shared by the couple’s sixth child Mohd Tarmize Ramly on his TikTok account, received positive response from netizens. The several videos he had uploaded on the app recently garnered over five million views, successfully making it to FYP (For You Page), a section featuring trending videos and content on this social media platform.
Mohd Tarmize, 33, said he did not expect the videos to go viral, adding his intention was to document the construction process of the house, which features a modern design.
He said their father Ramly Yaacob got to stay in the new house before he passed away in April last year after suffering a stroke. He was 67 then.
"After my father’s death, I felt a sense of emptiness. So, I created the TikTok videos so that I could have memories of him in the new house.
"I also edited some old photos and videos I had on my computer, including videos from when the house was being built back in 2019. When I posted them on TikTok (recently), they suddenly made it to the FYP. I was quite surprised by the number of netizens who commented," he said when contacted by Bernama recently.
Mohd Tarmize, who has 13 brothers and sisters with three of them still in school, said the idea of presenting a new house to their parents came from his younger brother Mohd Aizat Ramly, 32.
He said they came from a poor family and that their parents worked as rubber tappers to provide for their large family.
"My siblings and I did not set a specific amount for each person to contribute; it was based on everyone's capability. The initial targeted cost of building the three-bedroom was RM140,000.
"When the house was under construction, the contractor told us we could make the house bigger. Luckily, some of us could contribute more money so we agreed to build a six bedroom house with a larger kitchen," he said, adding the total cost of the house came to RM250,000.
Mohd Tarmize, who is an officer at Pos Malaysia Bhd in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, said the new house, with an area of 2,000 square feet, was built on his mother's land situated opposite their original wooden house.
"My siblings and I have agreed that this house cannot be claimed by any one of us individually since it was built with shared funds.
"So, for now, we use it as a place to gather when we return to the village for celebrations like Hari Raya. It's more comfortable compared to our old house where some of us had to sleep in the car," he said.
Mohd Tarmize said he and his siblings also gave their father a Perodua Axia car for him to use, including to drop off and pick up their younger siblings from school.
His older sibling Siti Farahana Ramly, 37, said their old house, which is now rented out to others, will not be demolished as they regard it as an ascestral home. - BERNAMA