SANDAKAN – The Aidilfitri mood in Halimah Mohamed Ab Kadir’s household must be something most families are experiencing this year – regret at being unable to balik kampung for the festival.
The teacher, whose hometown is in Kelantan, said this is the first Hari Raya Aidilfitri in five years that she could not spend with her mother.
“It breaks my heart to think that I cannot spend Raya with my mother, who is unwell, this year.
“My husband, who is also from Kelantan, is stuck in Sandakan, too, and my children could not meet their grandmother.
“I think because it is Raya and families are supposed to gather, my mother has been feeling really sad that I am away.
“She cried each time she called me in the past few days, saying she misses me and her grandchildren.
“We had a video call with my mother this morning, and everyone was crying, including my children.
“We took a family photo with a heavy heart right after the call, and I had to force myself to smile, but my children looked sad. It is a gloomy day for our family.”
The mother of three, who is currently pregnant, said she hopes to be reunited with her mother before she gives birth.
Anna Sardewi Madlan, a banker, said the Covid-19 pandemic sees her separated from her younger brothers, who are in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur.
“They are not able to return to Sandakan because they cannot cross state lines.
“So, I feel bad for my mother for not having all her children with her this Raya,” said the mother of one.
Anna said she is celebrating Raya moderately this year because open houses are not allowed.
“We had simple meals for close family members, and we took a family photo in our Raya outfits. That is all for Raya this year.”
Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, Johari, who works for a government-linked company, said in jest that he would rather stay home and watch television with his family than risk being fined by the authorities.
He said he had no problem visiting family living in Telipok Ria, located 22km from his house in the city.
“We didn’t request for a permit from police because the SOPs are clear that there is no balik kampung this year.
“It’s better to save money and spend on things like food than settling fines if we violate the SOPs.”
But it is his wife who has had to sacrifice another year celebrating Aidilfitri without her family, who are in Kota Belud, some 70km from the Sabah capital.
Authorities have banned inter-district travel in the state to avert a new wave of infections resulting from the balik kampung exodus.
Another city dweller, Mohd Ardiansyah, who hails from Petagas, said he would only stop by his parents’ home on the first day of Aidilfitri with his eldest child.
“We won’t be long,” said the 38-year-old engineer, who noted that there is no travel ban between Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan, where Petagas is located.
Ardiansyah and his five siblings, two of whom are in the peninsula, said they would hold a Zoom meet-up at noon, and that it has been two years of them not celebrating Aidilfitri together.
This is the second year in a row that Sabah has banned inter-district travel during Aidilfitri. –The Vibes, May 15, 2021
Additional reporting by Jason Santos
