Anxiety gives way to tears and joy as prisoners interact with families under special programme
KOTA KINABALU: Wearing a dark green baju Melayu, a young boy peeked through the iron bars, reaching out as he called "Ayah!" (Father) over and over.

His repeated calls stopped after a man in uniform came to unlock the high iron gate that separated the three-year-old from his "ayah".

The boy and about 100 others, were then escorted to a hall to meet their relatives, inmates at the Kota Kinabalu Central Prison here.

The boy became anxious, crying and throwing a tantrum, ignoring his mother's attempts to distract him by pointing at handmade ketupat decorations around them.

But his demeanour changed completely when his father came to them.

“Maybe he feels awkward. Whenever we (met before), we were separated by glass," said the father, Ali, who is serving a 15-year sentence for rape.

"This is the first time I get to hold him, because I last held him when he was just three months old.”

The 32-year-old was among 35 inmates selected for the Jalinan Kasih programme held in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Wednesday (May 8).

Of the 35 families permitted to visit their relatives, 32 turned up on the day.

Ali chatted happily with his wife while he fed his son, with his mother also at the table.

After a while, much to Ali’s delight, his son began to feel at ease and pestered his father to take him to play the drums – part of the prison band's instruments used to entertain the visitors earlier.

Meanwhile, another inmate panicked when his 52-year-old mother suddenly collapsed.

Medical assistants rushed to help, and she was soon feeling better.

“Thankfully my sister is around to help calm her. My mother was just too overwhelmed. The last time we met was five years ago,” said Johan, who was jailed 11 years for gang robbery.

It was learnt that his mother was suffering from high blood pressure.

“My mother reminded me to take care of myself, be disciplined and refrain from doing bad. Prison has changed me and I have learned my lesson. I have repented and believe that with my family’s support, I will not repeat my mistakes,” he said.

Johan added that he had fallen in with the wrong crowd, who influenced him to become an addict and resorted to robbery when they ran out of money to buy drugs.

Asked about his plans, Johan said: “I just want to be with my family. I have been away for too long.

"I really want to reconnect with my children, aged five to 15, who are now living with my ex-wife. She asked for a divorce in my fourth year here,” he said.

Just like Johan, Rahim also has his future mapped out.

“I am going back to our family business. We are in construction,” he said.

The 52-year-old, jailed 36 tears for rape, said Wednesday's programme was special because it was the first time in 16 years that he was able to meet his only daughter.

“She was a preschooler when I last saw her. She is now 23, and has been living with my family members after my wife sought a divorce the year I was put behind bars, in 2008.

“We used to talk on the phone, but not often. So I was only able to listen to her voice. Honesty, I did not recognise her, until I heard her call me daddy.

"I knew that voice. It was, indeed, a very emotional reunion... we both cried,” he said.

Rahim said they exchanged a number of stories, and before they parted, he told her to take care of herself and always think before doing anything, as she was old enough to tell the difference between good and bad.

Hoping to meet her again in the next Jalinan Kasih programme, Rahim could only hope he would be picked again.

“I am not getting any younger, and I still have a few more years to go. I just hope this is not our last meeting,” he said.

Prison superintendent Jaini Ayong Rajawa said the programme is a nationwide one that offers face-to-face interactions between selected inmates and their families.

“Typically, these interactions occur with a glass barrier between them, but this programme allows them to hold hands and hug, as a reward for inmates who show good behaviour,” he said.

He added that similar initiatives would be held soon to commemorate other festivities.

(Note: The inmates' names used here are not their real names.)
Sabah & Sarawak,Sabah,Kota Kinabalu Central Prison,Inmates,Selected,Good Behaviour,Jalinan Kasih Programme,Families,Face to Face
KOTA KINABALU: Wearing a dark green baju Melayu, a young boy peeked through the iron bars, reaching out as he called "Ayah!" (Father) over and over.