KUALA LUMPUR: Pop queen Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza is always the "queen of Malaysians' hearts", including her employees and ex-employees such as Khairul Azmir Abdul Hamid.
Khairul Azmir, 58, is now wheelchair-bound as a result of a stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, and he has thanked Siti for helping him "navigate" such trying times by being a caring and compassionate employer.
With Siti's help, father of seven Khairul Azmir recently received disability pensions of RM3,027.92 a month from the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) at her charitable foundation Yayasan Nurjiwa in Wangsa 118 here.
Khairul, who has worked for Malaysia's number one entertainer for more than two decades, and was previously the general manager of SN Legacy Sdn Bhd, described Siti as the "best boss anyone can have".
"I fell ill two years ago, but I continued to work for Siti. She is compassionate to all her employees, a most exemplary and extraordinary person in my life," he said.
"Even though my illness has rendered me unable to serve her any longer, she has still lent a helping hand to me and my family, and has never failed to contribute to Perkeso for the welfare of her present and former employees."
Khairul Azmir said that his former employer's contributions to Perkeso helped ease his burden. Not only does he receive a monthly pension, he also gets monthly dialysis treatment at RM150 per session.
Siti said that as an employer, she was duty bound to do her utmost for the well-being of her employees, and most importantly she had to contribute to Perkeso every month.
"I've been contributing to Perkeso from the start. Since I worked hard for my success and reaped rewards from it, it is always fair to reward all the good people who helped me make it in life, especially my dedicated employees," she said, adding that Khairul Azmir was one of her longest-serving employees who served her with distinction.
"My employees are my team. They contributed so much to my success as an entertainer and an entrepreneur. They deserve to get the best possible treatment when they need it most."
Siti advised all employers to contribute to Perkeso, for it was the key to ensuring that their employees were well taken care of when "times are bad".
Khairul Azmir received Perkeso benefits from Kuala Lumpur Federal Territories Perkeso director Mohamad Asri Ngosman at Yayasan Nurjiwa.