Trying times for Indonesian widow

Double tragedy: Nuraini cleaning her carpet that was soiled by the Nov 5 floods at her flat in Tanjung Bungah. Her husband Ali Raza (inset) was killed in a landslide about two weeks before the floods.

GEORGE TOWN: A 39-year-old Indonesian woman’s life is in turmoil because she lost her husband in the Tanjung Bungah construction site landslide on Oct 21 and then her house was hit by the Nov 5 floods.

Nuraini Rosanti Abdullah, 39, who is three months pregnant, is in disbelief that she could be struck by tragedy and then disaster just two weeks apart.

“I have been struggling to cope with my husband’s death and then I lost all the belongings I gathered over 20 years living in Malaysia,” she said.

“It is a very trying time. I have to pick up the pieces and start over for the baby and my 18-year-old son (from a previous marriage).

“I also lost valuables worth about RM20,000 in the floods.”

Nuraini’s husband Ali Raza Mohammad Jamil, 22, died in the landslide along with 10 others.

Her ground floor flat in Taman Seri Setia, Tanjung Bungah, was then inundated in almost 2m of water.

Recollecting her short time with her husband, she said life was comfortable because they were both employed and had steady incomes.

“I worked in the canteen and he worked at the site. We could manage the household with what we made.

“I now have to sublet rooms in my flat to pay the rent,” she said.

Nuraini was, however, touched by the help that poured in from many sources.

“People living nearby have come forward to give me furniture and help me with food.

“One of them is willing to sponsor the flight ticket if I wish to visit my husband’s family in Pakistan.

“My husband and I married with the blessings of our families in June.

“Since his death, his parents have been calling me every day to check on me,” she said in between tears.

Nuraini is in contact with her husband’s employers and hopes there will be compensation.

“The money will come in handy, although I plan to look for work after the 40-day mourning period is over.

“But I am expecting and I don’t think I can do hard labour.

“I would also like to pay for my son’s further studies,” she added.