Lahad Datu – A year later: God tests those He loves

When her husband’s team was deployed to respond to information that Sulu gunmen were hiding in Kampung Simunul, Semporna, Jabah Mingku Voon was not too worried.

“As the wife of a policeman, I trusted my husband’s ability to carry out his duties even though I was also aware that his job was not an easy one,” said the widow of Semporna Special Branch chief ASP Michael Padel.

ASP Michael was one of six policemen gunned down during an operation at Kampung Siminul, Semporna.

Michael, 35, was born and raised in Sarawak. He was promoted as the head of the Semporna Special Branch a few months before his last assignment.

Although it had been more than a decade since ASP Michael and she were married, the 34-year-old Jabah vividly remembers the first time she met her husband.

“It was in 1998. At that time, he had not yet joined the police force and was still a teacher in Kuching. I was working part-time in a restaurant while studying. When he first approached me, I was a bit hard-hearted and ‘jual mahal’ (played hard to get),” recalled a smiling Jabah.

 

“A few months before his death, we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows. He asked me to marry him again in church. We exchanged rings and wore wedding attire. It was a very romantic moment; he was a very romantic man,” she said.

“A while back, while I was cleaning out boxes, I found a Valentine’s card from him from 1998. Rasa sedih pun ada, lucu pun ada (It was sad, but it was amusing as well).”

Jabah said that she had opted to become a housewife because her husband wished for her to be at home with their son, Macluie.

Although Michael was by nature a cheerful man, he behaved strangely very soon after his 35th birthday.

“At first, I didn’t take much heed of it. During our anniversary in September, he kept mentioning his old schoolmates and went about repairing whatever was broken in the house,” said Jabah, her expression visibly more solemn.

“He brought our son out to the movies very often, sometimes three times a week. He even called his family every day in Sarawak. He usually calls often, but never like this.”

On the day he left Tawau for Semporna at 5am, Michael’s change of behaviour was at its peak, she said.

“He was uncharacteristically sad. He kept getting in and out of the car. He looked anxious as if something was troubling him deeply but he assured us that he would return home.

“When he gave me a goodbye hug, I saw that my husband was crying. If my husband was shedding tears, what more my reaction as his wife?” said Jabah.

While in Semporna, Michael would call home five to six times a day and sent messages frequently.

“There were always texts asking how we were. It was unusual, it felt like we were dating again, the amount of times he contacted me.

“On Friday, when (ASP) Zulkifli (Mamat) was shot (in a gun battle with Sulu gunmen in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu), my husband asked about our son and told me he would not be coming home that day.

“The last call I received was at 3pm on the day he passed away. He told me not to worry and asked one of our friends to accompany and check on me at home. A few hours later, he was shot and all attempts to reach his phone failed,” said Jabah, adding that she had no idea what was happening at the time. 

“I felt very alone as I was away from my hometown (in Simunjan, Sarawak) and only had my son with me. Throughout the night, I kept wondering what happened to Michael and praying that he was all right.”

The officers who came to inform Jabah of her husband’s passing had difficulty delivering the news.

“On Sunday midnight, a large group of officers arrived at my house and told me that my husband was injured and warded at the hospital. I felt uncomfortable, and my instinct as a wife told me something was amiss,” she said.

“The officer who delivered the news of my husband was crying. The wives of the policemen also cried, as they did not know how to break the news to me. There were many of them, I can’t remember how many now. All I know is that I fainted when they told me of his injury. Deep down, I knew that if he was only injured, there would not be that many officers at my doorstep.”

Her son was the one who consoled her.

“He told me ‘Daddy is only hurt, don’t worry’,” she recalled.

A year after his passing, Jabah said that not much has changed in her and her son’s lives.

“My friends say it has been a year and I must move on, but perhaps it is hard for me because I was not redha (at peace) with his passing,” she said.

Jabah’s son is her rock during these difficult times, always reminding his mother to continue on with life despite their sorrow.

“He is a very strong boy. He always tells me that we cannot continue to be sad,” she said.

“My son and I have our own ways of dealing with grief. When he sees me sad, he asks if anything is wrong. I always answer ‘nothing’. When I see him sad, I ask him the same question. He gives me the same answer.

“He hides it well, but I know he is troubled. After all, we are both going through the same thing together,” said Jabah.

Even though the family has lost a father and a husband, Jabah feels proud of Michael’s sacrifice and believes that his death was not in vain.

“I tell myself that God will not test us if we are not strong enough to bear it. He will not test us if He does not love us,” she said.

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