By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 10: A woman in Sebuyau whose husband went missing in a tragic boating accident three years ago was among 250 underprivileged families recently selected to receive food baskets under the Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) Uplifting Lives programme, bringing some relief to a household still grappling with the pain of unanswered questions.
Norhanafiah Mohamad, 34, has never given up hope for the return of her husband, Isa Uja, 38, who went missing during a fishing trip at Sungai Rama on April 20, 2022—just weeks before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
At the time, Norhanafiah was four months pregnant with their third child—a daughter Isa never had the chance to meet.
Police investigations revealed that Isa’s fibreglass boat had collided with a sand-laden vessel, causing him to fall overboard.
His fishing partner and nephew survived and reported the incident, but Isa was never found despite extensive search efforts involving authorities and local villagers.
For Norhanafiah and her children, the absence of closure has weighed heavily on their lives.
They now live with Isa’s mother, Hasanah Ramli, 61, and sister, Nora Uja, 32, in a shared home at Kampung Masjid, where the three women support each other emotionally and financially.
Together, they run a small home-based business selling traditional cakes and snacks, especially during Ramadan. Still, the family depends on social aid to get by.
Through the Samarahan Social Welfare Department (JKM), Norhanafiah receives financial assistance under the Children’s Assistance Scheme (BKK).
Last Ramadan, for the first time, the family received external aid when they were selected as recipients of food baskets distributed by PETRONAS, in collaboration with JKM Samarahan. The baskets were delivered personally to their home on March 15, 2025.
“This is the first time we’ve ever received help. Thank you very much,” said Norhanafiah told DayakDaily.
The grief of losing Isa still lingers. Malaysian law presumes a missing person to be deceased only after seven years of disappearance, leaving Norhanafiah and her family caught in a limbo of grief and hope.
Isa’s mother, Hasanah, often sits by the door during Ramadan, silently wishing her son will return home for Raya.
Even the youngest child, who has never met her father, proudly tells neighbours, “Kamek anak Isa (I am Isa’s child),” a tender declaration of love and remembrance.
For the family, memories of Isa remain vivid—his quiet nature, his late-night motorbike tinkering, and his dreams of having a daughter.
They continue to honour him in their own ways, holding on to fragments of who he was as they wait, with unwavering hope, for answers that may never come. — DayakDaily
