Women prisoners celebrate Eid

KOTA KINABALU - Eight inmates held back their tears as they enter the hall to meet their families for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri Jalinan Kasih and Kaamatan event held at the Kota Kinabalu Women's Prison on Saturday.

It was an emotional scene during the two-hour meeting between inmates and their families present at the event.

An inmate known as Wida, 33, said her father’s four-hour journey from Lawas, Sarawak, to Kota Kinabalu has helped her forget her loneliness after since their last visit.

"Eid was meaningful for me as this was the first time I was chosen in this programme to meet with family.

"My father could rarely visit as he was far away in Laas, which is why I cried and tried to hold back my tears seeing my father enter the hall," she said when met at the Kota Kinabalu Women’s Prison in Kapayan.

When asked about her offence, Wida said she was jailed in 2021 for a criminal breach of trust with company funds totaling RM700,000.

"I was caught in breach of trust after the company performed an audit, and I was sentenced to six years in prison," she said.

Another inmate known as Ann, 37, could not hold back her tears as she met her mother and family.

"This was the first time I met my mother and niece, who were visiting here. Our meeting for two hours could fix the longing I had for family.

"I was incarcerated because I abused and owned drugs; this has caused my separation from my family," the Sipitang born woman said.

She said she was arrested in 2021 at a rental home in Kota Kinabalu and police investigations found 50 grammes of syabu.

"I sold syabu with my boyfriend at the time, and the prices usually go over RM500. However, my actions finally ate me up when I was caught," he said.

Another inmate known as Zila, 34, was upset when her family was not present during the programme.

"They would often visit, but this time it was different as it was the month of Syawal.

"I was upset when they couldn’t attend, but I understand as my father is unhealthy and was undergoing dialysis today," the woman found guilty of a drug-related offence said.

Kota Kinabalu Women’s Prison director Kesumawati Ilas said the programme was implemented to provide a chance for inmates to meet with family members for Eid.

Through the Jalinan Kasih programme, eight inmates were given the chance to meet their families after fulfilling certain conditions set, among them a remaining sentence of less than three years, orientation phase approval, personality scores above 90 per cent, local citizens, and no disciplinary issues," she said.