KFC assistant manager says helping others is something all should do
PUBLISHED ONMarch 03, 2015 6:08 AMByGregory Loo
She became an overnight Internet sensation after she went out of her way to help an old blind man.
Her kind act was posted on social media, and it went viral.
On Feb 20, Miss Muzalifah Mohamed Soryani, an assistant manager at KFC's Bukit Merah outlet, helped the man to his seat and took his order.
It is believed that he sells tissue paper in the area.
Miss Muzalifah, who is known as Muza, even upgraded his order of one piece of chicken to a full meal, which she paid for out of her own pocket.
The incident was captured on camera and detailed by bystander Dora Ong on Facebook, where it quickly spread.
The story was picked up by the media and even spread across the Causeway.
Ms Ong's post and the subsequent articles have received more than 17,000 shares on social media.
Miss Muzalifah was initially surprised by the impact of her good deed, but she is not getting carried away by her sudden fame.
Instead, she hopes her example will inspire more young Singaporeans to help the elderly.
The 30-year-old told The New Paper: "My best friend shared a screenshot of the story with me on WhatsApp at 2.45am, but I was sleeping and not feeling very well so I didn't think too much about it until I woke up.
"I didn't expect this thing to go viral. It's quite a shock for me, but I felt satisfied that I made the uncle happy because he was very happy that day.
"To me, helping someone less fortunate like him is something youngsters should do because it is everybody's responsibility to help."
Ms Ong's photos were shared by KFC's Facebook page, garnering more than 1,700 likes while praising Miss Muzalifah for "bringing smiles to our lovely customers".
PROUD
Mr Philip Ng, operations director of KFC, said: "We are extremely proud of our employees, especially those who go the extra mile.
"We encourage our team members to treat our customers like guests and extend the warmth of the KFC culture to them.
"We have recognised Muza during our internal Chinese New Year celebration event to thank her for being an exemplary model for others to follow."
Miss Muzalifah, who has worked at KFC for nine years, first noticed the old man soon after she transferred to the Bukit Merah outlet in April last year.
She recalled helping the man to the toilet on three other occasions during her time at Bukit Merah Central. But she had not seen him order anything to eat before.
Miss Muzalifah, who is engaged and is the sixth of 10 children, said: "It was his first time dining in here because he comes to our outlet to use the gents.
"That day, as I was assisting him to the toilet, he told me he wanted to eat.
"It was Chinese New Year, so I greeted him and we had a casual (chat) and he told me that he wanted chicken.
"He came all the way alone, so I decided to buy him a meal. We chatted a bit as he understood a bit of Malay and I told him, 'Uncle, you just stay here and I'll order for you.'
"So I got him two pieces of chicken, coleslaw and fries, which I served him, not realising that someone was taking photos of me."
When the man realised what Miss Muzalifah had done for him, he thanked her profusely for the meal.
While the old man left the outlet happy after getting more than he expected, it was sweeter for Miss Muzalifah, who had the chance to make up for a small regret.
"I've seen him outside before, at the bus stop, and wanted to help him get on the bus, but he was ahead of me. I felt quite sad then," she said.
"I consider the day I got to help him my lucky day."
gregloo@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Mar 2, 2015.
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