Lahad Datu – A year later: Family still pines for slain cop

Nur izzaty and her mother looking at her father's photograph.

For 12-year-old Nur Izzaty Syafiqah, her father’s clothing has a calming effect whenever she feels depressed.

The Year Six student of SRK St Agnes in Kota Kinabalu still misses her father, Sergeant Major Baharin Hamit who was killed by Sulu gunmen in Kampung Simunul in Semporna on March 2 last year.

“The only way she could soothe her aching heart was by hugging her father’s old clothes,” explained her 52-year-old mother, Sumiati Suarah, during an interview at their home in Kampung Laut Inanam, near Kota Kinabalu.

The family’s three-bedroom terrace house is decorated with the late sergeant’s sports trophies, service medals and commendations.

 

“I still keep some of his clothes especially his badminton outfit, because there’s still his scent on them,” said the widow of the former Special Branch policemen from the state police headquarters.

Sumiati said that her daughter regularly dreamt of her father and there were even times when she dreamt that her father was baking a chocolate cake for her even though he could never bake.

“These dreams make her feel happier,” Sumiati said, adding that she wanted her daughter to focus on the forthcoming UPSR exams, later this year.

Her older son, 17-year-old Muhd Izzat Syafiq, who studies in SMK Kolombong is coping better. According to Sumiati, he is better at dealing with his feelings of loss.

For Sumiati, the events before her husband left their home for Semporna will always remain in her memory.

“I will never forget the day he was left for Semporna. My daughter cried so hard,” she said.

Sumiati says she misses her husband dearly, especially for the little things he did when he was alive.

“When I cooked, he was always with me in the kitchen, just keeping me company, bothering me, and “entertaining” me. Even when I was tired, I did’t feel it as he was always there, making life more wonderful for me,” she said.

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