‘Abam Botak’ and crew offer dignity in times of grief

PETALING JAYA: Losing a loved one is a sorrowful experience, and being unable to provide a respectful final farewell because of a lack of resources simply adds to the distress.

In Sandakan, Sabah, Yunizam Yusop lends a helping hand to families in need. For six years, he has been supplying transportation services for coffins to underprivileged families who have suffered a loss.

In local parlance, Yunizam is affectionately referred to as "Abam Botak" due to his distinctive bald head, and he heads a team of six Muslims who often have to travel long distances to bring back the deceased from remote villages.

As anticipated, it was quite a daunting task. Yunizam remembers driving for hours through roads with numerous potholes, often veering off the beaten path to navigate dusty hills and crossing streams, all in the hope of providing some semblance of comfort to a grieving family.

He remembered a trip in May when he was tasked with transporting the remains of a Christian from Sandakan to the remote Kampung Sinaron Tengah in Sook, Keningau, which was approximately 230km away.

The ride was made more difficult due to inconsistent mobile network coverage along the way.

"We were concerned that we might be unable to reach anyone in case of an emergency," he said.

A lot of lorries were waving for us to turn back. Perhaps it was due to the tough road conditions that nobody was willing to carry the body, but that’s no reason for us. As long as our vans are operational, we will assist.

"We were mindful of the pain that the deceased's loved ones must have endured, so we reluctantly pushed on to retrieve the remains and finally brought it back to the village. The round-trip journey took a gruelling 17 hours," Yunizam said.

The team of volunteers has a total of six vehicles available for their use.

However, the most severe challenges faced by these organizations come not from logistical hurdles, but from accusations of insincerity and moral intent as raised by some individuals, who question why they provide the same service to Non-Muslims.

Yunizam and his team, who comprise Muslims, always gracefully accommodate every request for assistance, without consideration of one's religious background.

“Assistance should be given to those in need, regardless of their ethnicity or religious background,” he said.

They have lived by this principle.

They handle criticism with ease. “We simply inform the critics that our objective is to assist the disadvantaged, irrespective of their racial or religious background,” Yunizam clarified.

In order to avoid any potential controversy, the van does not display any Quranic verses during the transportation of a non-Muslim's remains.

Yunizam, who works as a supervisor at a plantation company, began providing this service in 2018 during his volunteer assignment to transport patients from low-income families to Sandakan Hospital.

One day, a patient he frequently accompanied passed away.

"We were facing difficulties in arranging a hearse, and I thought to myself that it would be wonderful if our organisation could assist less fortunate individuals in this area as well," he said.

Yunizam admits it has been a tiring journey but even after six years, he and his team experience joy whenever they see the faces of those they have aided light up with relief and gratitude.

These small acts of kindness, like these and others, motivate them to carry on.

“Berhagia untuk disayangilah datang dalam pelbagai kaedah. Kita ada masanya orang-orang menggunakan duit untuk memasukkan jumlah bahan api di dalam tangki kita, manakala ada pula yang membelikan kami makanan.”

“Well, maybe that’s a plus point for us,” Yunizam said.