When Muhammad Salim Harmanain sat for his ethics exam in 2016, his father waited nearby with only RM100 in his pocket.
Instead of travelling back and forth from Banting to Kuala Lumpur, which would have cost too much, his father used the money to stay at a budget hotel while waiting for him to finish the exam.
It was a detail Salim only shared with WeirdKaya years later, but one that says a lot about the quiet sacrifices behind his journey to becoming a lawyer.
For Salim, who is an OKU due to cerebral palsy, his success was never his alone. Behind it was a father who rarely said much, but always showed up.
Threads post about father’s quiet sacrifices goes viral
Salim recently caught the attention of netizens after sharing a Father’s Day post on Threads, where he recalled a memory from 2016 during his chambering days.
In the post, Salim shared that his father once pushed him from the Bar Council to a car park near Menara Maybank when he was going for his ethics exam, as they were unsure where to park.
He also shared that during his 14 weeks of Legal Aid, his father would take leave every week to accompany him to the Legal Aid Bureau.
Every Father’s Day, I will remember this memory. My father is not a man of many words. He just does,” he wrote in the post.
The post resonated with many netizens, who were touched by how his father showed love through actions rather than words.
Salim is an OKU lawyer from Selangor
According to Harian Metro, Salim, 36, is a lawyer from Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor.
He is an only child and is a person with disabilities due to cerebral palsy.
The Malay daily reported that Salim completed his Bachelor of Laws at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) before going on to serve as a lawyer.
Father was strict but showed love through actions
Speaking to Harian Metro, Salim said he was not always very close with his father when he was younger.
He described his father, Harmanain Arshad, as a strict man who did not usually show affection through words.
However, as he grew older, Salim began to understand that his father’s love was shown through his actions.
Dad travelled weekly from Shah Alam to Nilai for him
Among the memories shared in the Harian Metro report was how Salim’s father would travel every week from his workplace in Shah Alam to Salim’s campus in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.
At the time, Salim was pursuing his foundation studies.
Salim also recalled an incident where his wheelchair broke down around Maghrib. By after Isyak, his father had already arrived with another wheelchair for him.
According to him, his father would come to campus whenever he was needed and would bring him home every week.
Father took 14 weeks of leave during Legal Aid stint
During his chambering period, Salim said his father also helped him greatly.
One of the biggest sacrifices was when his father took leave for 14 weeks to send him for his duties at the Legal Aid Bureau.
Salim also recalled how his father once walked several kilometres during Ramadan while pushing his wheelchair so that he could sit for his exam and continue his training.
He told Harian Metro that he shared the story not to show off, but as a reminder to himself to never forget where he came from and what his father had done for him.
Dad quietly told friends about his achievements
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Salim shared more about the quiet ways his father supported him behind the scenes.
When asked whether his father ever said anything to him after he officially became a lawyer, Salim said his father never expressed it directly in front of him.
However, he later found out that his father had been telling his friends about his achievements.
“He never said anything in front of me. But he told his friends about my achievements,” Salim told WeirdKaya.
Dad only had RM100 during his 2016 ethics exam
Salim also shared with WeirdKaya another memory from the day of his ethics exam in 2016.
According to him, his father only had RM100 in his pocket at the time, but still used it to stay at a budget hotel while waiting for Salim to finish his exam.
This was because travelling back and forth from Banting to Kuala Lumpur would have been too costly.
“During the ethics exam, my dad had only RM100 in his pocket but he used it to stay in the budget hotel while waiting for me to finish the exam.
“It was very costly to go back and forth from Banting to KL, so he stayed there,” he said.
Studying law as an OKU came with physical challenges
When asked about the most difficult part of studying law as an OKU, Salim said many people may not realise how demanding the course can be.
“As a law student, we need to read a lot, we need to be good in note taking,” he said.
For him, the challenge was having to manage his physical limitations and health conditions while still fulfilling his responsibilities as a student.
“This is where it became difficult as I need to juggle between my physical limitations and my health conditions.
“At the same time, I still need to fulfil my duty and enjoy my student life,” he told WeirdKaya.
OKU individuals can pursue professional careers too
Salim hopes Malaysians will understand that being OKU does not stop someone from pursuing a professional career.
However, he said equal opportunities must be given in both education and employment.
“I wish the public would understand that being OKU does not hinder you from pursuing a professional career, provided that equal opportunities are given in terms of education and career,” he said.
“Raising an OKU was never easy”
If he could say something to his father publicly, Salim said he wanted to thank him for being the best father he could ever ask for.
Thank you for being the best father one could ever ask for despite the difficult circumstances and lacking in the knowledge at that time,” he said.
Salim added that raising a child with disabilities was never easy, especially during the early years.
“Raising an OKU was never easy. It was tough especially during the early years.
“He managed to do it with my mom by his side,” he said.
