subject: My Part of the Story [print this page] My Part of the Story My Part of the Story
I read with disgust regarding the Chinese Dailies and some other Dailies writing all the stories about me "snatching back" my child at her school. For your information, when I went to the school with the Court Order, it was almost time for school to dismiss and furthermore, school examinations had already ended. The ruckus started when parents went to the school to pick up their children.
Referring again to the allegations made by my ex-husband in the press, that our daughter was crying when she met me, is a lie. I have videos to prove it that she was the happiest child in the world at that time to be able to hug her mother after three years of separation. Most people will think that I am an irresponsible mother to leave her child for three years but nobody knew the trauma I went through all these years being his wife.
In year 2007, it was actually my daughter and I that left the house and not only me as alleged by Tan Cheow Hong. After about three months with my daughter residing in Johor Bahru, he came and was the real person who snatched away the little girl who was four years old. I could not do anything after that incident. All I could do was to plea for a safe release of my daughter. All I ever wanted for my child too is for her to be happy and while being in a violent "tug of war" with Tan Cheow Hong and as a man as he is, I just released my grasp.
Does anyone know about being with a physically abusive husband and what can a woman do to stop the continuous beatings? This is the fact that made me run.
I have found my peace after that ordeal but having my child with me will always be in my heart. I had worked myself up in the business world and now currently own my own company and with all the negative publicity, I admit it is taking a toll on it. It was also my current religion which is Islam that gave me the courage to carry on in life. I embraced Islam about two years ago but officially did it in August 2010 and not vice-versa as claimed by my ex-husband.
When I decided to embrace the Muslim faith, it was a love and hate situation at first when I suddenly noticed some non-Muslim people giving me the "side eye" and started avoiding me when they knew I was a Muslim. I wouldn't blame them for being ignorant towards the Muslim faith as they are not exposed to it. A person whom doesn't know will not know the welcome and warmness that I felt being a Muslim. It wasn't taking any opportunities on anyone as claimed by the lawyer from the other side. It was pure sincerity.
I feel sad and embarrassed for my Muslim friends when suddenly all the slurs are directed directly to our faith that we hold on to. At the same time, my hat goes off to them too when they have such patience when being slurred with the most foul language known to mankind.
Let's put religion matters aside in this case. As religion is not the factor for me taking back my child. It is pure love from a mother towards her child and I wouldn't deny a father's love for his child either. But why are the stories in the press pointing all the fingers towards me as if I am the guilty one? When I found out that the child is not staying with Tan Cheow Hong who is always busy and staying with his sisters instead, I thought to myself that my daughter was being thrown around like an orphan and it was time for me to act according to the Constitutions of the Law. Being a Muslim, it was only right for me to take my case to the Syariah Courts and under the Islamic Constitutions, an Interim Court Order was attained after that. When I met my daughter for the first time after all these years, the very first words were: "Mummy, I missed you" and we were hugging right in front of her teacher and classmates.
Looking at the news prints and blogs in the internet purely shows that most people are misinformed about what is actually happening and racial propagandas are being ignited by certain irresponsible political parties. These parties are slurring the good name of other religions in the name of reformation of the nation. Do we need such reformation in the first place? Why such religion bashing? Furthermore, as a father, will this man be "Jantan" or "Man" enough to face up to reality and settle it diplomatically? In my case, the answer is no.
The point here is, if I needed to face even the highest Constitutions of the Law in this country for the sake of my beloved daughter, I will definitely be there. I will not do so if my "testosterone hormones" are running riots in my soul just because all I wanted was to keep my sisters happy. I am more than happy to provide for her upbringing, shelter, love, care, education and all of a mother can give for the sake of her daughter in her lifetime. This is what a mother can and will do for her child.
