Our Prayers Have Been Answered
Together, we must now stand up to oppose the ISA

by Roslijah S Syed

As I write this (on 13 June), my husband, Abdul Ghani Haroon, has returned to me and our children for about two weeks. This article should have been written earlier, but I was unable to do so due to my health problems and frequent commuting to and from Kuala Lumpur to fulfil my responsibility as a wife whose husband had been detained under the ISA, his whereabouts unknown.

 Nevertheless, as a Muslim, I give thanks to Allah as, through his power, my husband (far right) and Gobala have been freed by Justice Datuk Hishamuddin Yunus. It was also a most special birthday present for me, even if I received it 10 days too early.

Being reunited with my husband didn’t come easily. I had to face many obstacles. All kinds of problems arose. I was always anxious and afraid. My health was affected. But I am thankful because I was able to face these obstacles one by one, calmly and patiently.

My World Came Crashing Down

Truly, 11 April 2001 was a day I will never forget - a day that really tested my inner strength and resolve. I felt my world crashing down when my husband was detained. The police should have informed me that my husband had been detained under the ISA. But they failed to do so. I got the news from my husband’s friend in Sarawak, whom I knew only as Rudy. Rudy was with Ghani when he was arrested at the Kuching airport.

That day, I telephoned Rudy every half an hour because only he knew then what had happened to my husband. However when Rudy returned to the police station with the lawyers, they were told that Ghani was not there. I felt then that only God knew where he was. How frightened I felt.

However, when I recalled my husband’s message to me about an hour before he was detained, I immediately felt that I could pluck up the courage to rise above this setback. He told me to look after the children well, to be resilient and patient in facing these trials. He was ready to face all risks, including the risk of detention under the harsh ISA.

To me, the allegations made against my husband and the others were baseless concoctions. Where were the molotov cocktails, grenade launchers and whatnot? It was all slander.

My husband is someone highly responsible. After 15 years of marriage, I know his character and behaviour. He even displays compassion towards insects! How can he even think of hurting people and destroying the country we cherish?

They are persecuting the wrong people. These are heroes, people who are willing to lay down their lives in the struggle for justice and truth. I feel really proud to have a husband like him. Truly, God is all-powerful. The truth was revealed when my husband was freed by Datuk Hishamuddin Yunus. I take this opportunity to express my profound thanks to him.

Missing Their Father

When my husband was detained, the children too were downcast. What was the reason for his detention, they wanted to know. They cried when they found out that their father had been detained for (allegedly) possessing explosive devices that could jeopardise national security.

I provided a convincing explanation to the children. I told them it was all untrue and that they themselves knew their father better than that. Our children are forbidden from playing with firecrackers and fireworks on Hari Raya because their father insists that the fireworks are dangerous. Would he then be capable of using bombs and other explosives? I also explained to the children that their father was a hero who was willing to make sacrifices for their future. Be proud of your father, I told them.

The next problem I faced was when they asked when they could meet their father. By then, 30 days had passed. I had run out of good excuses to give them. My children wailed that they wanted to meet their father. What I did was give them photographs of my husband.

What else could I do? Everytime we tried calling Bukit Aman, I got a standard reply. I was told to be patient and wait. Like the other wives, I communicated with DSP Joon and DSP Phillip. At one point, I was too discouraged to phone the two of them anymore.

What happened to Vasanthi (Gobala’s wife) on 8 May also happened to me. Both of us were waiting to meet the ones we were pining for. But we were disappointed. I remained patient even though the tears flowed when I saw my children crying when told they could not meet their father.

After being patient for 45 days, on the 46th day (27th May), my family and I were allowed to meet Ghani. But before we could see him, there were more obstacles. The van we were travelling in broke down (at Bukit Berapit). God only knows the state of panic I was in then. With my brother’s help, I caught a taxi from Taiping to Kuala Lumpur.

At about 4.45 pm, we reached our destination. All the pining and anxiety vanished after we met the person whom we all had missed dreadfully. The conversation centred on family matters and the children. Throughout the reunion, which lasted 1½ hours, we were under surveillance by police officers.

Truly, the ISA is a cruel and oppressive law. It had so cruelly separated us. We did not even know the whereabouts of the one we loved.

One incident I shall not forget involved my youngest son, Abdul Rahman Danial. After I had said my prayers, my little child started praying too. The prayer that came out of the mouth of this small child still makes my tears flow to this day. Thankfully, the prayers of the children, my mother, our relatives and friends, and my own prayers have been answered by God.

Although the risk remains, the experience my family and I went through has made us more courageous and not afraid of uncertainty and threats. Instead, we as a family will rise to struggle for justice. That is our promise.

Another moving experience is that the bonds of friendship which the wives of the detainees have forged among ourselves have given me renewed spirit, courage, and self-confidence. With their support, I too am brave enough to come forward on stage to inform others of what has happened. To everyone, I say be aware of this harsh law. Today, it happened to my friends and me. Tomorrow, who knows?

Let us together pray that our other friends will be freed quickly. They are not traitors but heroes who desire justice and truth. This law has been used to intimidate us. So let us together struggle to repeal the ISA. If I, a homemaker, can stand up to oppose this Act, why not you? Stand up and be counted.

Ghani was freed by the High Court on 30 May 2001 after 49 days in detention. Three days earlier, he was allowed a family visit after being incommunicado for 46 days.