Heartbroken wife says husband was 50-50 in going on fatal plane crash trip

SHAH ALAM - "He was half-minded (50-50) about going there (Langkawi) because the children were unwell.

"But Datuk Seri (Johari Harun) needed him. The last time I spoke to him was on Wednesday. He called about 10pm, to check on how the kids were doing,"said the wife of Muhammad Taufiq Mohd Zaki, 38, who died in the crash on Thursday.

Stating that it is still hard to digest the heartbreaking news, 38-year-old Suzana Paiman said she was informed of the incident involving her husband, who was the special officer to Pahang Exco member and Umno Bentong division chief, who also died in the crash.

As reported by mStar, Suzana said she was still home with her kids as two of them were unwell after being infected by influenza.

"I'm still home now. The kids are sick. I have not seen my phone these last few days. Two of my kids have influenza. I'm also not well. My husband has been in Langkawi since Wednesday evening.

"My husband went to Langkawi for a state government meeting. I knew that my husband had boarded a private jet. One of my close friends called me earlier and asked about the incident. At that time, I tried to calm myself down... I thought maybe it wasn't them.

"Then at around 5.15pm, a representative of Datuk Seri (Johari)'s office contacted me. So I asked, is there any good news? Unfortunately, they said everything was not good. That's when I understood. They said all the passengers did not survive," she was quoted in mStar.

Suzana, who married Taufiq in 2011, said she had last contacted him on Wednesday night.

"He didn't do or say anything unusual. He is rarely at home, as his job requires him to be away on work.

"I'm still shocked and didn't foresee this. He didn't show any strange behaviour. Everything was normal. He is rarely at home. In a week, about one to two days, he will be in the house. I didn't see any changes," said the Bukit Indah, Ampang resident.

Suzana said she was still waiting for further updates on the incident and her husband, adding that her family members had just left Johor to accompany her in the capital city.

"I am still waiting for more information. I don't even know where my husband's remains are. My family is all in Johor; they are on their way here," she said.

Suzana and Taufiq were blessed with four children, aged 10, 7, 5, and 3 years.

It was reported that 10 individuals, including a car driver and a motorcyclist, died after a plane crashed in Elmina, Shah Alam.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) also confirmed that a Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) aircraft registration number N28JV had crashed on Thursday evening.