By Aliza Jaffar

"Free our beloved father. The ISA has oppressed our father.” Those were the words my children had scrawled on a poster and pasted on a wall at home. These words expressed the hopes and sentiments of my children following my husband Saari Sungib’s detention on 10 April 2001. They didn’t cry this time, perhaps because it was the second time he had been detained under the ISA.

The first time was on 12 October 1998. At that time I was in critical condition at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital in Cheras due to complications in my pregnancy. I was seven months’ pregnant with my 7th child. My children and I have published a book recounting our experience as an ISA detainee’s family titled “Repeal the ISA. Abolish Oppression: An outpouring of the heart from the family of a former ISA detainee, the president of JIM (Jemaah Islah Malaysia).”

In Shock

After my husband was detained on 10 April 2001, I was in a state of shock and my friends quickly rallied at our home or telephoned me. This brought me some comfort. But the next day, when the Inspector General of Police made a press statement that seemed like mere slander, I felt very disgruntled and outraged. From that moment, whatever trust I had in the police rapidly vanished.

How could I not feel that way? I know my husband well. I have lived with him for 23 years. He is not someone who will do anything to jeopardise the nation or the people’s security. What he has done all this while is to uphold justice and to struggle to put an end to oppression in Malaysia. When the IGP’s statement was splashed in the newspapers, I felt so sure that the ISA was being manipulated in the political interest of certain people.

Because of that, the wives and families of the other nine detainees and I were not shaken in our faith nor were we afraid. We fully support the Abolish ISA Movement and the struggle against oppression. The ISA must be repealed so that other citizens will not be shackled by oppression and cruelty.

The ISA has tormented us, separated me from my husband and the children from their father, but we should be resilient. I was forced to become both father and mother. I had to manage all family matters and take care of the children by myself. The initial 60-day detention period was filled with much anxiety. My children and I kept waiting, wondering when we could meet my husband. The passing days made us sleepless and we also suffered loss of appetite. At last, on the 26th day, we were contacted by the police, who told us that I (together with my children) could meet my husband at the Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) in Kuala Lumpur on 5 May 2001.

The one-hour reunion was precious although we were observed by two police personnel. We didn’t bother about them because it was our right to meet him. He is not guilty. They don’t have any evidence to convict him. My husband must be freed.

On the 54th day, under confusing circumstances, my husband and three of his colleagues were rushed to Kamunting on the instruction of the Home Affairs Minister. It was only after they had been sent there that the police telephoned to inform me. I was shocked but I had to meet my husband to ascertain the detention and to seek clarification.

A Test of Faith

The first meeting at the Kamunting Detention Centre was very heart-rending for us. We had missed him terribly. My husband informed me that he would be held there for two years. My heart was shattered, thinking of such a prolonged separation. All the same, we saw it as a trial from Allah to test our faith. We decided to deal with it positively and pledged to work hard to free him and his colleagues as soon as possible, apart from praying unceasingly so that Allah will protect us from the treachery of those who are oppressive and malicious.

It has been three weeks since my husband and his friends were moved to Kamunting on 2 June. He shares a room with Ezam who, since the ISA arrests, has become like ‘family’ to us. They can discuss and exchange experiences and aspirations. They have not given up hope at all; neither have their spirits sunk although their freedom as human beings has been snatched from them. Their supporters and the people should not be afraid; we should use what freedom we have to reclaim justice and dignity as an independent citizenry

While in Kamunting, my husband will do a PhD programme in Strategic Management from the University of Malaya. Hopefully, he will succeed. Apart from reading books and studying Tafsir Al-Qur’an, he is also revising what he has learnt before of the Arabic language.

The days seem to be passing very quickly now. We wait eagerly for our visits to him in Kamunting. Although the separation is agonising, it has strengthened our love for each other. They think all this will wear us out but it has not been a burden at all. The journey to Kamunting does not seem very far. It is hard to describe. Only someone who has undergone this experience will know. Such is the power of Allah, the all-knowing.

Apart from our weekly family visits, we can also write to him. Every week, I write at least two letters and my children also send news to their father. Their friends at school and friends of my husband’s and mine also write to him. To mark Father’s Day on 17 June, my children mailed him a card.

My husband is actually always at our side - not physically, but his words, his smile, his jokes, his hopes continue to echo in our hearts. He is never far from out thoughts. My love for him is undiminished because he is my beloved husband. My loyalty to him remains undivided no matter what happens. I will continue to struggle to bring him back to us.

No Secrets

He is a respected leader. As president of JIM (an Islamic NGO) for nearly 10 years, he has contributed a lot especially in human resources development, which he carried out through JIM HRD and Akademi Islah (reforms) Malaysia, sponsored by JIM. Missionary work was one of his firm commitments. He was also the founder of the Al-Amin Islamic primary and secondary school, the most well-known private Islamic school in Kuala Lumpur. He is now the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Al-Amin School.

After his term of office as JIM president ended, he was active in keADILan and acted according to the provisions of the party constitution. There were no secret meetings as alleged in the grounds for the Kamunting detention orders. Our home address was used for correspondence. Media statements were issued to explain forthcoming activities. Posters and circulars clearly stated that the programmes involved peaceful assembly. Should such above-board efforts in a nation that practises democracy and freedom of expression be curbed though the use of the ISA and detention without trial?

He is a beloved and respected father to the children. Our eldest child, Anfal, 21, has finished studying and is now my companion and helper. My second child, ‘Urwah, 19, is in Year 3 at UTM along with younger sibling, Muthanna, 17, who is just entering the same university. Both are taking the same course, that is, Computer Science. The fourth child, Zilal is in Form Four and the fifth, Marwah, is in Form Two. The sixth, Muhallab, is in Standard Six and will be taking the UPSR examinations soon. We also have an adopted child, Qurratu ‘Ain, who is in Form Two. Our seventh is two-and-a-half years old. We do a lot of things together, whether it is playing, recreation, holidaying, mountain-climbing, camping or organising community programmes.

How can anyone with so much resolve to do good for the country be accused of jeopardising the nation, be denied trial and the opportunity to defend himself, be separated from his family and the community? How detrimental for the country that the ISA is still manipulated to serve the interests of certain quarters. Our children will demand accountability for the injustice inflicted on their father because they are the generation that will continue our struggle; they are the next generation of leaders, the hope for our nation’s future.