Armed with a pail of water and some Detol, 42-year-old Mustaqim Kumar Abdullah Sooria may have looked quite eccentric while he scrubbed slides and tunnels at the local playground.

The personal driver said that many people who passed by laughed at him and one even called him "bodoh".

"My only intention was to clean the playgrounds near my house so that it becomes safer for children, especially with the recent coronavirus outbreak," he said when speaking to Rojak Daily.

Hours of volunteered labour

Mustaqim said that he took several hours to clean at least three playgrounds near his home in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam recently.

"I feel like most of us are afraid of this virus and have been cleaning our homes, but what about common areas like playgrounds?"

"I just wanted to set a good example, and I hope that others will do the same too," he said.


He added that initially when he started cleaning, most people just gave him odd looks, but after about an hour, children started aproaching him to ask if they could help.

"They were so sweet to come and help and eventually a few parents also joined them," he said.

Mustaqim said that he eventually posted about the act on his personal Facebook page and soon, many social media users were sharing it.

"So many people had positive things to say, and I'm touched by the comments," he said adding that his next project was to hand out free face masks to nearby schools and educate children about the coronavirus.

We love his selfless spirit!