Two Arrests in Three Years He can face this ordeal with greater strength
by Noor Farahin Ahmat
My husband, Lokman Noor Adam, was born in Batu Pahat, Johor, on 1 January 1973. He had his education at High School Kluang, Johor and Mara Institute of Technology (now known as UiTM), Perak.
Although he is still young, he is very brave and responsible. He is mature for his age. He would sacrifice his life to make sure our country is peaceful. He loves politics and was born into a �political family�.
While in UiTM, he was a student leader for several semesters. Even then I could see that he was very talented and protective of the students. (I myself studied at UiTM, Perak.)
Presently he is the Youth Secretary of Parti Keadilan Nasional. He was arrested under the ISA in Shah Alam, Selangor, on 24 April 2001 at around 12.15 am after giving a speech at Keadilan's Shah Alam office. His detention then brought to nine the number of detained �reformasi activists�.
Lokman, Follow Us!
According to a witness who was with Lokman early that morning, the plainclothes police officers did not identify themselves when they made the arrest. They only said, �Lokman, follow us!�.
That night I waited for my husband. That very day was the first birthday of our second son, Muhammad Amirul Izzat. Lokman remembered the occasion and was looking forward to celebrating Izzat�s birthday.
For us, this was to be a very important and special occasion. One month earlier, Lokman had already �blocked off� that date to ensure that he would not be attending any ceramah, especially any held outside Kuala Lumpur.
Suddenly, Lokman�s friends came to my house around 3.30 am and informed me of his arrest. I could only confirm the arrest at 1.00 pm when I went to Bukit Aman police headquarters with the families of other ISA detainees.
After that I went to SUHAKAM to make a report. �I hope I will be able to see my husband immediately and find out about his condition�, I told Tan Sri Anuar when I was asked what I requested from SUHAKAM.
Not Once But Twice
My husband had been arrested under ISA before � in 1998, at the height of the reformasi protests. Then he was detained for 59 days. I only managed to see him on the 29th day of his detention.
This detention is his second experience of the ISA. I firmly believe that he can face this ordeal with greater strength.
Just before he was taken away by the police, he managed to write a simple note to me. The note was handed to me by his friends. The note read: Don�t panic. Be patient. Take care of our children. He said that he loved his children and me and asked that I send his regards to other members of our family.
Our elder son, Muhammad Amirul Islah, is very close to his Papa. He is two years old. Although he cannot understand what is going on, I believe that deep in his heart he misses his Papa very much.
I make it a point to tell my children, although they cannot yet understand, that their Papa is a fighter, that he struggles for both of them and for the Malay-sian people. I tell them that he does not fight just for himself, but that he loves them very much.
Even though my husband is a �tough� man, whenever he was out of state, he would always call home and at least once talk to our elder son. Now Amirul Islah surely misses his father�s voice.
Only Visits
On 8 May 2001, two weeks after his detention, I managed to see Lokman. He said he was in good condition and told me not to worry about him. He asked me to carry on with life as normal. We only talked about family matters but it was obvious he was very happy to see his children.
The police promised me a second visit but did not specify a date for the visit. Nor did any of them say a thing about Lokman�s condition. They only said that investigations were on-going and will be completed �as soon as possible�.
Previously I was not involved in politics, maybe because I didn�t quite have time for politics after working and looking after my children. But I had always understood what my husband was struggling for.
On weekends, he would always bring us to see him berceramah (speaking) normally outside Kuala Lumpur. He showed us what the people needed and taught us to understand his duties and responsibilities. These were also opportunities for us to spend more time together especially with both our sons.
Today I�m very proud of the Malaysian people, particularly the women, because they are very brave to oppose the ISA and to work on other issues.
I�m especially proud to be associated with the wives of the ISA detainees. We work hard as a team, cooperate well and will leave no stone unturned to try and secure our husbands� immediate release. Personally I would like to thank this network of detainees� wives which gives us all the moral support we need to stand up and continue with our lives.
My husband remains in detention. But I won�t remain quiet. I must do everything I can to advance the struggle to free my husband and all other detainees.
Get Up, Stand Up
I request of other people: Please don�t keep quiet. This is a time when we must stand up for our rights. This wave of ISA detentions may not affect you today. But we can�t be sure that the ISA won�t strike you some day. Or the ISA may victimize our children in the future. We must all work together to abolish the ISA.
For now, I�m confident that my husband and his fellow detainees will find the strength to battle their unjust detention. Kebenaran akan terbukti jua! (Truth will prevail!)
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When he saw Lokman�s face in the newspaper, he said �Papa� and he would always look at his Papa�s photo before he slept. When I ask him, �Where is Papa?�, he would automatically reply, �Papa�s at work�. On and off, he would have a fever, and the doctor has confirmed that it could be because he misses his Papa very much.