PETALING JAYA: Azwan Omar, popularly known as “Abang Viva”, who became a cult hero for rushing to the aid of flood victims in Shah Alam with a boat tied to his car, has been recognised for his deeds.
Azwan was conferred the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) in conjunction with Melaka governor Ali Rustam’s 73rd birthday at Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, Bernama reported.
Azwan, who drove all the way from Melaka, was among the first to come to the aid of residents trapped in their homes by rising floodwaters.
And he accomplished all this with just RM50 in his pocket, surviving only on bread and water given by the flood victims and the NGOs on site.
Azwan went on to grab more headlines when he drove to Terengganu two months later to help flood victims in the east coast state.
During his second trip, he drove a four-wheel drive given by a cosmetics entrepreneur and was accompanied by a convoy.
His deeds in Shah Alam earned him recognition from Melaka chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali, who called him a “hero orang Melaka” (a Melakan hero) when he presented the state’s 2022 budget in the state legislative assembly.