He said the Taman Free School Surau was proof of humanity at its best and the generosity of Penangites at large.
“I am touched by the spirit of unity in the multiracial population of Penang. This is where people from different races and religions opened their homes to victims in need.
“Muslims helping non-Muslims and vice versa is what the Malaysian spirit is all about, and is something pure.
“This purity is embodied by Mr Sapno Tukijo who allowed some 70 victims to take shelter from their flooded homes,” Lim told the state assembly this morning.
The flood victims, who were mainly of Chinese and Indian descent, had taken refuge at the surau upon Sapno’s insistence.
A picture of them in the surau quickly went viral, with some quarters saying it was rude as several of the victims were not wearing shirts.
However, Zakaria Malik, the director of the surau, took to Facebook after that to thank Sapno and committee members who had not only given victims shelter, but also went out of their way to save people.
“I am extremely proud to have committee members, bilal (muezzin), surau helpers and the people living around Taman Free School, who helped us during this critical time, especially during the wee hours of the morning.
“They had to deal with strong currents from 3am to 5am with engineless boats,” he said.
Lim said he was also grateful to NGOs like Buddhist Tzu Chi, which helped clean up the streets and provided aid for Muslims.
“These are the kind of things that make us proud to be Penangites and Malaysians,” he said.
Over half of Penang was submerged in flood waters following hours of torrential rain that killed seven people over the weekend. More than 6,000 people were also evacuated from their homes.
Muezzin who helped non-Muslim flood victims unfazed by mean comments