Govt to look into welfare of visually-impared Caliph Buskers' drummer Fendy

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has come to the aid of Caliph Buskers' drummer Fendy Adlun, 30, whose income has been affected for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band comprises visually-impaired musicians.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said her team would ensure that Fendy's previous application for the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) affordable housing was looked into immediately.

"I will bring a DBKL officer for this application process and it will be completed as soon as possible. The current rental of the (Fendy's) house is RM1,300 a month.

"Fendy was previously a recipient of the Allowance for Workers with Disabilities assistance under the Social Welfare Department but since 2019, due to earning a higher income, he did not qualify to receive continued assistance," she said after a visit to Fendy's home, here, today.

Rina said many were affected during the current pandemic, including persons with disabilities (PwD).

"The government does not exclude PwD. Under the National Recovery Plan, there is an assistance package for PwD whose income is affected, which is RM500 a month for three consecutive months involving an allocation of RM30 million.

"I have also contacted the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM) for assistance through the Malaysian Creative Industry Stimulus Package and the Malaysian Creative Fund for him. Volunteers will monitor the situation of this single father and his six-year-old daughter, Nur Azalea Zafirah," she added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who also visited Fendy, said his team would help the drummer to regenerate income through the economic "freelance" system created with the KKMM under the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation programme via myGIG and GLOW (Global Online Workforce).

"We will raise donations as soon as possible to buy an electric drum set in order for him to earn a living online," he said.

The two drum sets that had previously been Fendy's source of income were sold in an effort to cover his daily expenses, including taking care of his daughter who is also visually impaired.

"My two favourite drum sets, which were bought for around RM4,500, had to be sold at RM1,500 to RM2,000 to cover my house rent, utility bills and so on since January 2020 as we couldn't perform and I was using savings for survival," said Fendy.

"Now I busk live every Saturday at 9 pm via Facebook and YouTube to generate income. If I could, of course, I would do Foodpanda or GrabFood," he added.

Yesterday, a video that was uploaded on social media sites showed members of the band informing the Women, Family and Community Development Minister about Fendy's hardship and having to provide for his daughter during the pandemic.

-- BERNAMA