Shoulder to cry on: Malik struggling to contain his emotions as he embraces Sultan Sharafuddin during his hour long audience with the Ruler. — Photo from Selangor Royal Office’s Facebook page
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Selangor has granted pardons to many convicts, though the Ruler has never met any of them.
One exception is Dr Malik Yatam, the country’s first inmate to earn a PhD while serving a prison sentence.
Malik was sent to jail at the age of 14 in 2001, and he never imagined that he would walk out of prison 25 years later with a “Dr” title to his name.
He was granted a royal pardon on Dec 11, 2024, in conjunction with the Sultan’s birthday.
Today, the now 39-year-old Sabahan runs a chilli farm in Selangor with several former convicts as his partners.
The soft-spoken and reflective Kadazandusun traced his life journey and experiences, mostly sad and painful ones, marked by a determination to improve himself via education while in prison.
Malik could not contain his emotions and composure as the one-hour audience granted by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Tuesday came to an end.
Tears flowed as he hugged His Royal Highness, who had promised to sponsor Malik’s umrah trip with his wife, a civil servant.
As a teenager, Malik had left his home in Keningau for Kuala Lumpur with seven others, lured by the promise of an RM800 monthly job to support his impoverished family.
But after six months of working in a Sekinchan restaurant, he was unpaid and became a victim of labour exploitation and physical abuse.
In a desperate attempt to escape, a scuffle broke out which led to the death of his employer.
Malik was sentenced to detention at the state Ruler’s pleasure, spared the death penalty under the Child Act, but imprisoned indefinitely with no release date.
In prison, a kind juvenile offender officer encouraged Malik to continue his studies.
He borrowed books from fellow inmates and endured the mockery of prisoners who laughed at his efforts, asking why he bothered when there was no date for his release.
Unperturbed, Malik sat for the SPM in 2006, followed by the STPM a year later.
He eventually completed his PhD in business administration from Open University Malaysia.
He said his thesis supervisor helped him a lot by sourcing reference books and notes.
He also acknowledged the support of the Prisons Department, religious authorities and benefactors such as Datuk Dr Hartini Zainuddin, the prominent activist behind Yayasan Chow Kit, who funded his studies.
Malik said faith also played a big part in his life, having embraced Islam in 2002.
He met his wife by chance on his flight back to Kota Kinabalu from KLIA after his release.
He helped her with her luggage and discovered they were connected through a relative.
Malik said he also gives motivational talks to youth, hoping they will be as determined as he is.
Having “grown up” in Kajang Prison, he says adjusting to life outside has been difficult, from learning to use a smartphone to navigating e-hailing apps.
“I had difficulties using e-hailing rides for transport and got scammed twice, sending money to someone who claimed she needed money for her children. Luckily, my wife keeps me grounded,” he laughed.
He also related the story of a VVIP prisoner who approached him for advice about pursuing his PhD, having heard about Malek’s success story.
“I told him that if I can do it, he can certainly do it better.”
