Ng showing his way of hydroponic farming to (from left) Abang Johari, Lee, Awang Tengah, Abdul Karim and others during their CNY visit to him on Wednesday.
MIRI: A physically handicapped man without both legs has proven that success is not a pipe dream when the heart is willing.
He overcame his physical handicap with resourcefulness, ingenuity and a never-say-die attitude to turn a swampy resettlement lot worthy of attention from Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and coterie of his cabinet members on Wednesday this week.
Ng Sza Liang, 61, a double leg amputee embarked on a venture to plant hydroponic vegetables at his lot in Phase Six of Tudan Resettlement Scheme last August.
He designed and built the entire system from scratch and after trial and error, succeeded in producing lush greens and even carrots which can make a seasoned farmer blush.
He planted five different types of vegetables on hydroponic system devised out of ideas gleaned from the Internet and YouTube into a roaring success that attracted the top guns from the Sarawak government.
After some research, he headed to the nearby hardware shop to purchase pipes and other materials to set up his hydroponic garden in this resettlement lot which he has settled in with his family a decade ago.
“The first batch failed, while the second batch result was a promise but the third batch was the best as you can see,” he said of the journey.
Ng has gone on to design his own vegetable packaging for the harvested vegetables which take only 40 days to grow.
In his speech at SUPP Chinese New Year dinner in Mega Hotel here, Abang Johari praised the man for his success and said the use of Internet of Things (IoT) as an enabler was proven in this case.
“If an OKU (handicapped person) can do this, imagine what an able-bodied person can achieve,” he said.
The Chief Minister paid a Chinese New Year visit to Ng earlier.
The entourage included Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan; Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin; Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew; Assistant Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus and Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datu Dr Penguang Manggil.
Lee, who is also Senadin assemblyman, said the Chief Minister was greatly impressed by Ng’s resourcefulness in inventing his own hydroponic system he learnt from YouTube.
“The vegetables grow very well, and the visit showed that our Chief Minister always has the less fortunate in mind but Ng’s resourcefulness despite being a double amputee is a standout and really impressed him,” he said.
Ng was involved in an industrial accident at a logging camp 29 years ago and one of his legs has to be amputated back then but a blood clot on the remaining leg forced doctors to amputate it in 2015.