Businesses were forced to close down and some Malaysians were left with no jobs, while there are those who are struggling to make ends meet.

One of them is former rally racing legend Karamjit Singh.

Desperate times for our hero

Harian Metro reported that the 58-year-old rally racer was forced to sell off his beloved Proton Waja so that he could afford to buy a new Proton Saga.

Karamjit, who is also known as the Flying Sikh in his heyday, reportedly sold his 2004 manual Proton Waja for RM7,000.

According to him, he needed the money to purchase a brand new car because his Proton Waja is "too old" to be used for e-hailing services.

"I am selling because I want to start driving 'Grab car', and my car is too old for that..so buying a new Proton Saga manual," he wrote.

Karamjit, who became the first Asian racer to win the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Production Car World Championship for Drivers on his first try back in 2002, told the news portal that despite his wishes, he had to let his beloved Proton Waja go because becoming a Grab driver is the only way for him to make ends meet.

He revealed that he does not have any savings left, as he used most of them to fund his rally career back in the day.

Karamjit also told Harian Metro that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has yet to fulfil its promises of giving him a pension for his achievements in the rally scene.

"I've met with the Ministry in 2005 or 2006, and they told me that I'm eligible for a monthly pension for my achievements as a world champion, which is like winning a gold medal. At the time, they told me that I could get RM5,000.

"However, that was just through the word of mouth, and I've yet to receive the pension. I really need it for my golden years," he was quoted as saying.

Despite that, Karamjit said he continued taking part in races all around Asia Pacific, and he continued to make the country proud by using the money from his own pocket.

Meanwhile, the Motorsports Association Of Malaysia said in another report that they are currently looking into Karamjit's plight.

Its Secretary-General, Muizz Azli, said that they are looking into ways to help Karamjit, which includes the possibility of offering him a large amount of funds.

"I've asked our staff to get in touch with Karamjit, and we welcome his feedback too.

"It is our responsibility to help," he was quoted as saying.

It breaks our heart to see a living legend 'begging' for help this way, so we hope that the government can find a way to help Karamjit Singh out.