Emotional Episode That Change My Perspective Towards My Life

EMOTIONAL EPISODE THAT CHANGE MY PERSPECTIVE TOWARDS MY LIFE

        In late 2015, I challenge myself to embark on a new journey inmy career life and work with the State Government of Negeri Sembilan. I choose to work in Negeri Sembilan so that my family can go back frequently to our hometown in Segamat, Johor. I was so happy and delighted that my transfer order was to Land and District Office of Tampin. It was just an hour from my hometown.

Tampin is just a small district in Negeri Sembilan. It is located at the border of Alor Gajah, Melaka and Segamat, Johor with the population of not more than 160,000 people. At first I thought it is a quiet place with less social problems and nothing much going on that needs much attention. But to my surprise, it is not. Every day I encounter a lot of cases involving teenagers, family matters as well as welfare related issues. One of my first cases that I handled personally was a domestic issue relating a wife and her five children who was left abandon by her husband living in a cabin with no money whatsoever. When we came and visit the family to gather some information, I was so shocked to found out that they have not been having any meals for the past two days and she had a ten months old baby crying repetitively rejecting the bottle filled with plain water. I broke down in tears.

Luckily we brought with us some dried foods like biscuits, bread and baby’s formula enough for their usage for a month. From my interview with the mother, she can’t go to work as nobody can assist her to take care of the kids. The husband has left her about six months ago and never calls or visited them since he left. She has no money at all but received some help from the neighbors but it was not enough. Two of the kids also have to skip school whereas three of them have no birth certificates and identity cards. The cabin where they live belongs to the former employer of her husband who allowed them to stay there and used the utilities like water and electricity at no charge.

When asked about her husband whereabouts, the wife has no clue and seems to lost hope. She cried nonstop and asked us to save her children. I personally felt so devastated and extremely shocked. I never really think that this kind of social problems is still exist in our country where parents neglect their children and left them in such a sad condition. We immediately saved the family by moving them to a proper house and provide them with basic necessities including clothes, foods, mattress and health check-ups for the children. All the relevant government agencies such as District Education Office was instructed to make sure that the kids get a place at the nearest school and received necessary aids and attentions. District Registration Department also instructed to make sure that the kids get their birth certificate and ICs.  In within one week, the kids are ready to go to school. The mother also received monetary aids from the Welfare Department for the her and the children’s monthly expenses.