Man praised for distributing $2 duit raya to children after TikToker influencer says it’s ‘better not to give’ that amount
A man who handed out a stack of $2 notes to children during Hari Raya won praise from netizens, after a TikToker sparked backlash by saying it was “better not to give” that amount.
According to Berita Harian, TikToker @schastarz had criticised those who gave $2 duit raya — packets containing money as gifts to family and loved ones during Hari Raya — in an April 3 post that has since been taken down.
“It also hurts when I go to celebrate Raya with my children, but everyone gets $2. Even $2 is not enough to buy chicken rice,” said the single mum, adding that it was “better not to give”. She uploaded a post on April 5, defending her stance.
Faisal Marican, who goes by @01fhm on TikTok, posted a video on April 6, with the on-screen caption: “thank you Schastarz for making $2 duit raya great again.”
In the video, he holds a stack of $2 notes, distributing them to children who live in the neighbourhood.
The children, dressed in festive attire and appearing to be in the midst of Hari Raya visiting, receive the money with a smile and thank the TikToker.
Some giggle amongst themselves, and take photos with him.
“Schastarz has united everybody to fight inflation together,” Mr Faisal added in the caption.
Speaking to Stomp, he said that the interaction occurred on April 5 at 6.30pm, when he brought his daughter to a playground near Block 137 Bedok Reservoir Road.
He added that the children approached him after recognising him from his TikTok videos. Later, he retrieved some $2 notes he had prepared for Hari Raya from his car and handed them out.
“After the $2 video, I gave them $10 note each and told them the $2 was just a joke,” he explained.
Responding to Schastarz’s post, Mr Faisal said: “While I understand her frustration when her daughter received $2, it’s important that we remain sensitive to the varying affordability levels of others.”
‘Let’s normalise $2 duit raya’: Netizens praise TikToker
The post received over 176,000 views, as netizens praised the TikToker for his “generous” and “kind” gesture.
One netizen, who identified themselves as a parent of one of the children in the video, thanked Mr Faisal for giving $12 to her daughter and wished him well.
Others encouraged gratitude, saying that it was “not about $2 duit raya”.
“Let’s normalise $2,” another netizen said, while another encouraged him to “bring back the vibes”.
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