GEORGE TOWN – The tale of single mother Loh Siew Hong, who regained custody of her three underaged children last week after a three-year struggle, continues to reverberate online despite pleas by some quarters to leave her alone to reconcile with them.
On one hand, former diplomat Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin went on social media to inform that she and her associates will embark on a crowd-funding campaign to raise up to RM50,000 for Loh, who professes to buy a food truck to sell her fusion dishes.
But on the other hand, an Islamic preacher has begun to address concerns if the children’s beliefs may be eroded under Loh’s guardianship.
Loh, whose plight received widespread attention, became a single mother after she divorced her abusive husband in 2020 for allegedly breaking her hands twice, slamming her head with a hammer and injuring her legs when he went on a tirade in 2019.
It is alleged that he turned violent after he became addicted to narcotics.
He is now serving time at a prison in Kelantan where he is due to be released in November.
While she recuperated from her injuries, her husband fled with the three children and together with the children, voluntarily converted to Islam, while the dysfunctional family was receiving counselling from an Islamic non-governmental organisation.
It took the 34-year-old chef at a Genting Highlands hotel three years to finally reunite with her children, a pair of twin girls aged 14 and a son aged 10.
But it was the legal battle and search that stunned the nation; she endured two high court appearances before she was granted full custody after winning a habeas corpus bid for the release of her children into her care.
An earlier high court decision was ignored by the Perlis religious authorities.
The children were then under the care of the Perlis and Kedah religious as well as welfare authorities.
During Loh’s struggle, it was alleged that her three children had shunned her and there was discomfort on how she could care for her children, who converted in 2020.
But Loh has maintained that her struggle has nothing to do with religion.
She just wants to reconcile with her children, the manner most mothers would want, and that their religion is something they can decide upon when they reach the ripe age of 18.
Loh seems disinterested over the religious issue when she was reached except to thank the people for trying to assist her with her food truck purchase.
Noor Farida said that her friend Hartini Zainuddin, who manages the Chow Kit Children’s Shelter, has agreed to help.
Noor Farida said the cost of the food truck is RM27,000 but her friends are planning to collect RM50,000 to also help pay tuition fees for Loh’s children.
Hartini is helping Loh to get tuition for the children.
“Could you please spread the word around to your friends who might wish to donate to her. My friends of all races are donating to her. Thank you,” said Noor Farida.
Meanwhile, former Pulau Betong assemblyman Datuk Muhamad Farid Saad posted that there was a discussion last night about the children’s conversion with preacher Zambri Vinod, where it was proclaimed that religious matters are a state’s right.
The discussion ended with the premise that the children’s faith must be protected.
But Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy countered that what Zambri is playing up is irrelevant.
“Our concern was the mother’s misery of not seeing the children for three years. We are glad that the mother and children are reunited now.
“The issue pertaining to the religion of the mother and her children are between them. The children are happily with the mother now, and the mother has not imposed anything on them.
“The practice of whatever religion is between them. We can’t interfere in that matter. The mother seems to respect the children’s choice. As a mother, her only desire was to have her children back with her. Whatever she does legally, it’s completely in her power.
“We can’t tell her what to do, and we won’t interfere on that matter either,” said Satees. – The Vibes, March 2, 2022
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