By Lian Cheng
SIBU, March 5: Sida Yakub, wife of Suhaili Gani — one of the eight Sarawakians stranded in Monrovia, Liberia, for two months — said she would not blame the government for her husband’s recent ordeal.
“The government should not be blamed. They (victims) wanted the jobs and were conned. They wanted high-paying jobs but ended up having no jobs there,” said Sida, 31, when met by reporters at Sibu Airport last night (March 4).
This mother of four from Pusa in Betong revealed that Suhaili had never worked in logging camps before.
“This is the first time,” said Sida, adding that her 39-year-old husband was interested with the job offer after being unemployed for two months.
In the beginning, she managed to maintain contact with Suhaili.
“I felt so sad hearing of their experience there (in Liberia). They were sick and there was no food and later they had to sell off their watches and handphones.
“They were miserable because they knew no one there. There was one person who helped them though, a Melanau known as Francis Lahar. But he got back at the end of January,” she said.
Sida was at the airport to welcome home her husband after being informed by Saribas assemblyman Mohd Razi Sitam and Welfare Department personnel.
Suhaili is one of the eight Sarawakians who went with a ‘tawkey’ to purportedly work in a logging camp in Monrovia, Liberia, on Jan 1 this year.
The other seven are Gawan Masin, 41; Enyang Ato, 66; Aji Surau, 39; Untol Luyang, 58; Sallim Tahir, 49; Bon Egat, 45; and Dingai Nyalak, 47.
After being stranded in Liberia for two months and with no jobs and money, they realised they had been conned. Fortunately, a Sime Darby staff in area noticed them and learned of their dire situation.
The company helped to connect them to Putrajaya and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry succeeded in bringing them home. They reached Sibu last night. — DayakDaily
