Homesick Malaysian 'reunites' with family across Johor Strait

Ms Liana Idris and her daughters Nur Daliesha Syazwani, 18 months, and Nur Daniesha Syazwani, four, with Mr Mohd Izwan Sarip, in a file photo. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MOHD IZWAN SARIP
A video of the reunion between Mr Mohd Izwan Sarip and his wife and their two daughters (circled in photo) went viral after it was posted. He has been away from his family since March. PHOTOS: MOHD IZWAN SARIP/FACEBOOK
A video of the reunion between Mr Mohd Izwan Sarip (above) and his wife and their two daughters went viral after it was posted. He has been away from his family since March. PHOTOS: MOHD IZWAN SARIP/FACEBOOK

By the middle of last month, homesickness and depression were eating away at Malaysian Mohd Izwan Sarip.

The 32-year-old, who works in Singapore, had been away from his wife and children since March, when Malaysia closed its borders to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"When I was told to come to Singapore, I had brought only two pairs of underwear, two shirts and two pairs of trousers - I thought this was only for a few weeks," said the warehouse assistant for online supermarket RedMart.

"My family means so much to me. I am so close to my four-year-old (daughter) and when I left, my toddler had only just started to crawl, and now she's already 18 months," he told The Sunday Times.

Mr Izwan's brother-in-law, Mr Muhamad Faiz Roseman, who works here for the Automobile Association of Singapore's roadside assistance services team, hatched an idea to cheer him up.

Last Monday, Mr Faiz asked their wives to take their children to a spot in Johor that faces Woodlands, while he and Mr Izwan went to a jetty at Woodlands Waterfront Park so that they could catch a glimpse of one another across the Johor Strait.

Mr Izwan waved and eagerly scanned the horizon for his wife and children while Mr Faiz, who has two sons aged two and four, secretly filmed the proceedings.

Mr Izwan said: "I was looking for a person in a white shirt because my wife said that was what she was wearing. Eventually, I found her.

"I've not seen them since March, and it was nice to see them not through a screen, even if it was so far away."

In Malaysia, Ms Liana Idris, 33, and their two daughters were thrilled to see him through binoculars. "My children were hopping while yelling 'papa, papa'," she said.

The video of the reunion, edited by Mr Faiz's wife Shafikah Sarip, who is Mr Izwan's sister, was widely shared when it was uploaded on the Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers Facebook account on Oct 5.

Mr Izwan said: "I heard that when my older daughter saw the video, she started crying. I don't know when I can see them again, but every day I pray that I can see them soon."

Though Mr Faiz was able to return to Johor for 18 days last month under a Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) between both countries, Mr Izwan has been unable to take leave to do the same.

Malaysian employees currently in Singapore, who wish to return to Malaysia for home leave, can re-enter Singapore under the PCA.

Last month, it was reported that Malaysia's Health Ministry is looking at fully reopening the Malaysia-Singapore border for daily commuters in January next year.

For now, Mr Izwan and Mr Faiz have to settle for waving at their loved ones from across the waters.

"I just bought binoculars for us," Mr Faiz said.

Shabana Begum and Hariz Baharudin

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 11, 2020, with the headline Homesick Malaysian 'reunites' with family across Johor Strait. Subscribe