KUANTAN: After spending 16 years celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri behind bars, Abdullah (not his real name) is looking forward to his release on June 2.
The 42-year-old, who has served his jail sentence at three different prisons in the country, is relieved that he will have the opportunity to reunite and celebrate Aidilfitri with his family members next year.
"Although the prison's management had prepared special dishes including nasi minyak for Aidilfitri, it was different compared to the meals prepared by my mother. Nothing beats the feeling of celebrating the festival surrounded by parents, siblings and friends while enjoying dishes such as rendang, ketupat and lemang.
"Serving as an inmate for more than a decade has left me with a lot of memories and made me understand the true meaning of freedom which I will never forget till my last breath. As the youngest of eight siblings, I was very close with my parents and other siblings, and when I was handed the jail sentence, they were left shocked," said Abdullah from Sibu, Sarawak.
Abdullah, who was previously a religious teacher, said the 16 years jail term (reduced from 24 years) and six strokes of the rotan has left a huge impact on his life and some things might never be the same again.
"Last year, my father passed away but as an inmate I could not visit him for the last time. Earlier, when I was given the sentence, I broke up with my fiancee from Perak.
'My sister lives in Johor but I do not want to trouble her to travel and visit me in prison. We only speak over the telephone," he said.
Abdullah, who was sent to prison for sodomising a minor in 2007, said he was in Kajang Prison between 2007 and 2011, and was moved to Sungai Udang Prison in Melaka between 2011 and 2017 before coming to Penor in 2017.
"I received six strokes of the rotan in 2010 and only God knows the pain I underwent before I fainted," he said.
Meanwhile Abdullah, who is now a blue uniform (special level) prisoner, said the colour of the attire allows him to move around the prison complex freely including monitoring and assisting other inmates besides being involved in religious programmes.
On his release, Abdullah said he has mixed feelings as he will have an opportunity to start a new life but is saddened as he will be leaving his fellow inmates and prison staff whom he described as part of one big family.
"As a blue uniform inmate, I will communicate daily with the prison staff and they are the individuals who will lend an ear for me to discuss, share my problems and exchange views," he said, adding upon release, he plans to return to his hometown and start a business.