Tajuddin: He sacrificed his life for us, is this how we repay his family?

Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi expressed deep sorrow upon learning about the plight of Siti Bandorah Mahalil and her children, who are facing eviction from their home in Semporna, Sabah.

“Police sergeant Abd Azis Sarikon gave his life defending this nation during the 2013 Royal Sulu Army intrusion. Yet, his widow not only endures the loss of her husband but now faces the prospect of losing her home and has been verbally abused by police personnel.

“No Malaysian should be subjected to such indignity, least of all the widow of a fallen hero,” the professor of architecture told Malaysiakini.

Tajuddin (above), whose late father served as a police officer, revealed that he had written to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who has promised to look into the matter.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that Siti Bandorah’s home in Kampung Alab - a water village in Pulau Bodgaya - was among the areas marked for demolition.

She alleged that police personnel berated her in front of her children, causing her to feel contempt for the very uniform she once cherished.

“As the son of a police officer, I remember the many days of waiting for my father to come home and, as a boy, wondering what kind of gun he would bring back,” Tajuddin recalled.

“But back then, I did not understand my mother’s anguish as she wondered if her husband - the father of her six children - would return home alive each time he left for work.

“Our family was more fortunate than Siti Bandorah’s. Her husband left for work but returned as a lifeless body. Now, despite his ultimate sacrifice, the home that shelters his family faces dismantlement,” he added.

‘My heart sank’

Tajuddin shared how his initial high spirits, after receiving an invitation to a Christian Federation of Malaysia event at the Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Petaling Jaya, plummeted upon reading about Siti Bandorah’s ordeal.

“My heart sank. I cannot feel right as a Malaysian, a Muslim, or a human being knowing she is treated in this manner.

“We should be her guardians. We should honour the memory and spirit of her late husband, a hero who gave his life for our nation,” he said.

“If ever there is an opportune time to show our humanity and sense of nationhood, it is now. God has brought her plight to our attention during this time of Christmas.

“Let us pray for her deliverance from this hardship so that her late husband may rest in peace,” he added.

According to a notice issued by Sabah Parks to the villagers, their homes are set to be demolished for allegedly encroaching into the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. - Mkini