No SPM, no limits: How a mother became a lawyer to save her son

 

Azlina with her family on her convocation day. PIC COURTESY OF AZLINA ABD AZIZ

KUALA LUMPUR: When her son was charged with murder, Azlina Abdul Aziz did not crumble - she picked up a law textbook.

The 52-year-old, who had spent years as a full-time housewife, said the harrowing experience in 2016 became the turning point that set her on an entirely new path in life.

"I never once thought of becoming a lawyer. I was just a housewife.

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"I grew up in a poor family in a Felda settlement and never managed to finish school up to SPM level.

"I left school early because of financial hardship and family circumstances.

"The challenges I faced from a young age were also shaped by my father's mental health condition," she told Harian Metro.

Azlina, known on social media as Makcikmanis, has drawn widespread attention online for her transformation from housewife to lawyer, made all the more remarkable by the fact that she does not hold an SPM certificate.

She married young, but the marriage did not last and ended in divorce.

"I thought marriage would solve my problems, but it turned out to be a different kind of test.

"I was a single mother for several years before I met my Australian husband.

"We settled in Australia in 2003 before returning to Malaysia in 2010," she said.

She remained a full-time housewife until her son was detained by police in 2016.

"At first, I thought it was a drug case, but when the police said it was murder, I was in shock.

"My son has a learning disability and was charged alongside others in the case. He looks normal, but he is actually slow," she said.

Throughout her son's trial, Azlina began reading legal materials to understand court proceedings.

"I read case law and tried to understand how the prosecution proves a charge.

"Going back and forth to prison every week opened my eyes to the struggles faced by other inmates' families.

"I saw many parents who did not understand the procedures, so I tried to help as best I could," she said.

She said encouragement from friends to pursue a law degree proved to be the spark that changed everything.

"They said I spoke like a lawyer, so I decided to try and apply. Even without an SPM, I used my work experience to qualify for university entry through a special pathway.

"I still remember going to the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to ask how I could further my studies in law.

"The officer who attended to me was rather surprised because I had no SPM and was a housewife. So I had to summon the courage," she said.

At the age of 43, Azlina began her law degree while still managing her son's court case.

"I studied because I wanted to understand and help my own child," she said.

The year 2022 proved to be the most meaningful, when her son was acquitted of the charge.

"Alhamdulillah, my son was freed after nearly six years, having been found not guilty.

"He even made it to see me on my convocation day," she said.

Azlina has since opened her own firm, focusing on civil and criminal cases drawn from her own life experience.

"I have been a client myself, so I know what that feels like. I am determined to be a lawyer who truly helps people and does not take advantage of others in their time of need.

"From my own personal experience, I have become a lawyer who genuinely understands a client's problems and will try my utmost to help, because I have been through all of it myself," she said. - NST