JOHOR BARU: A woman in her 30s, who remarried after a divorce, allegedly abandoned her five children with her parents to live with her new husband.
Skudai assemblywoman Marina Ibrahim said one of the children left behind is disabled (OKU).
"It is heartbreaking to see a mother abandon her own children in pursuit of a new love," she said.
The woman's parents, she added, are low-income earners. Her father is a former security guard, and her mother sells tissues, while the children's biological father is reportedly unemployed and provides no support.
"Their irresponsibility has left the children in hardship, aged 3 to 10, including a 6-year-old with disabilities."
Marina recounted her visit to the family in Skudai, where she met the mother returning from Perak.
"She told me her new husband has refused to care for her children since before they married," she said.
"Only the eldest child attends school, and several of the children do not have birth certificates.
"The children's future is uncertain if this continues. I am working with the Social Welfare Department (JKM) and the Education exco for help," she said, adding that she will consult with the Health exco to secure support for the disabled child, who was injured by hot oil.
Meanwhile, the children's grandmother, known as Kath, 44, said she has taken on the responsibility of caring for her five grandchildren, aged 3 to 10, since her daughter's divorce.
She relies on selling tissues and pens on the streets to support the family, as her husband is on medical leave after heart surgery.
"Our income is only RM500 per month, plus RM500 in aid from JKM to make ends meet," she said.