PETALING JAYA: When prison warder Zakir Husin was assigned to death row in Kajang in 1997, the first inmate he wanted to see was Affandi Rahman, husband of the notorious killer Mona Fandey.
Like many people then, he had closely followed the news coverage of the couple’s murder trial, which shook the nation.
Mona, Affandi and their assistant, Juraimi Hussin, were convicted and sentenced to death for the gruesome murder of Mazlan Idris, a Pahang assemblyman, in 1993.
Given the opportunity to see the celebrity inmate in person, Zakir said he had a mental picture of Affandi as a brutal, sly and arrogant man, akin to the fictional psychopath Hannibal Lecter in the film “Silence of the Lambs”.
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He said he passed from cell to cell on his rounds on the second floor of Blok Abadi, which at the time housed about 26 inmates.
“Then, there he was, sitting still and quiet on a prayer mat, where he spent most of his time,” Zakir recalled in an interview with FMT.
Affandi was not prone to the violent outbursts of some other inmates, who sometimes threw faeces at the wardens, he said.
He and Affandi slowly built up an unexpected friendship after several greetings, with conversations revolving around finance, economy and business.
“He wasn’t interested in empty conversation or gossip,” Zakir said, describing Affandi as calm, articulate, and intellectual. Their conversations felt almost like a forum.
Zakir said Affandi wished one day the country would give birth to businessmen who would be able to build empires abroad, rather than be restricted in the homeland.
On one occasion, he said, Affandi talked about the 1997 Asian financial crisis and, at another time, described how he and his friends fought for proper housing for squatters.
“To him, the main purpose of doing business was not to gain personal wealth, but to help strengthen the country’s economy and become respected globally,” he said.
However, sometimes, Affandi’s train of thought wandered in the middle of the conversation when Mona came across his mind, Zakir said.
“He would whisper ‘Saya kasihan Maznah (I pity Maznah)’,” he said emotionally, referring to Mona by her real name, Nur Maznah Ismail.
Zakir said he never pushed Affandi to talk about the murder, because the matter had been dealt with in court.
Their friendship lasted for two years before Zakir was transferred to the Kuala Selangor district council.
The Mazlan Idris murder, which involved elements of witchcraft, fame and power, gripped public attention for weeks after his dismembered body was found buried in a pit covered with cement.
Mona, a pop singer turned bomoh, and her husband were reported to have hatched the plot to kill the politician in revenge over a land deal that went sour.
The couple and Juraimi were executed at Pudu prison on Nov 2, 2001, two years after the Federal Court rejected their appeal against their conviction. The Pardons Board also refused to grant them clemency.
“I knew the day would come, but I can’t help but be overwhelmed with grief,” Zakir said. “I would never talk badly about Affandi as he had served his punishment, and I pray that he will be forgiven in the hereafter.” - FMT
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