‘MEMORIES GIVE US STRENGTH’
We will fulfil hubby’s dreams, says wife of late chief steward
NUR Laila Ngah finds strength in her children and her late husband’s dreams to get on with her life.
She was the wife of Malaysia Airlines chief steward Wan Swaid Wan Ismail who was on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.
“For my children and I, the memories of my husband are what drives us to carry on with life because those memories bind us together and keep us close.
“And of course, we pray to Allah for strength when things get tough,” she told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Nur Laila, a housewife, runs a small business from home to support her three children, Wan Amirul Haziq, 15, Wan Aemer Hafiz, 13, and Wan Afrina Sofea, 11.
She also receives some coverage from the Social Security Organisation.
Nur Laila said family and friends treated her normally as if the tragedy had been forgotten, but she bore no ill feelings towards them.
“It was not their tragedy and they were not directly affected. Only my children and I still feel the loss, especially as the third anniversary is closing in on us.”
She said both her boys lived in their school hostel and as very few people knew of their background, they managed to go about their life without attracting attention.
Nur Laila vowed to realise Swaid’s hopes and dreams that he did not have the chance to fulfil.
“His main goal was to raise our children to be pious and morally upright. He also wanted to give the best to the family,” she said.
In conjunction with the anniversary, the next of kin support group Voice370 will be organising an event at Publika on Saturday to remember their loved ones.
With the tagline “MH370 is not history, it’s the future”, the group on its Facebook page said: “While the search for MH370 has been suspended, it is our fervent plea that the search is resumed.
“We believe that the search for MH370 and for answers to what led to its disappearance go beyond the families’ need for a credible explanation and closure.”
Activities at the event include tributes by next-of-kin, a talk on aviation safety, an art exhibition and musical performances.
On Jan 18, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the search operation for flight MH370 had been suspended.
However, that did not mean that the search was permanently stopped as Malaysia had a memorandum of understanding with southern African coastal nations to look for debris.
On Tuesday, he said two more pieces of debris were picked up, bringing the total debris collected to 27 pieces. He said details would be released later.