In search of SALHI

Assalamualaikum & salam sejahtera,

Have you ever lost a handphone? A wallet? An identity card?
How about a kitten?
How did you feel about the loss?

I just want to share with you how tears welled up in my eyes early this morning after reading the recent twist posted by Pi Bani, about the desperation of a sister looking for his lost brother - which you must read! Perhaps, you might have read about this in the newspaper before.

MISSING

SALHI KHAESSA AHMAD
Age 26
Height 175 cm, Weight 70 kg
Mentally ill ( schizoprenic)
Missing since Friday 13th July 2007

SALHI, the missing person above, may look like a typical young and healthy malay guy. The painful truth is that SALHI is suffering from a mental illness called schizophrenia. SALHI has been missing since July 13th and a police report has been lodged by his family since then.

If you care to read Dr Najmiah's email from Pi Bani's posting, you would appreciate that SALHI, who went to koleq (MCKK), was a bright student (scored 8As in PMR, and later A1 for Physics & Add Maths in SPM), a genius of the family, a family clown and very much loved (still is) by his family.

How is Salhi linked to Pi Bani?
Salhi is the brother of Dr Najmiah, who is a friend of Pi Bani's.

How is Pi Bani linked to Ibu?
I don't know Kak Pi personally (yet) other than being acquainted through the blogosphere.
I do know her brother though; TA Bani, who happened to be my former boss . Oh gosh! Which means, I have been to Kak Pi's mom's house in Kg Kepayang many years ago when my colleague & I 'tumpang' kereta boss in one of our regional hospital visits. TA Bani coincidentally hailed from MCKK too.

Now, now.... all that who knows who from where and when should not matter right? Technically.

Yet missing from the who-knows-who links above, is a cable strong enough to push this case up the hierarchy of priority like the one that made it possible to find the pieces of a foreigner's body blown up by a bomb in the not-so-far-away forest within days of a missing person report lodged.

Regardless of who knows who and how (un)important this case is to the image of the mesra-rakyat-wannabes, to Dr Najmiah and her family, SALHI is more than just a police case.

SALHI who was described by Dr Najmiah as the best little brother anyone could ever wish for, is indeed suffering from Schizoprenia - which while not harmful to others, is a serious and challenging mental illness that typically interferes with the person's ability to think clearly, to distinguish fantasy from reality, to manage and control emotions, make simple decisions and relate to others. SALHI has been without his medication for at least 2 weeks now. Given the mental condition suffered by SALHI and with only RM3.50 in his pocket when he left home that July Friday 13th, the worries, the fear, the frustration and the apprehensiveness clouding SALHI's family is more than fully justified.

As a pyschology minor, I've learned that to all families of missing person, the absence of their loved ones translates for them as a living nightmare every second of the day, every day of the week, and every week of the month. When someone goes missing, the effect it can have on their family or loved ones can be devastating; they can be left feeling angry, depressed, bewildered and often with a sense of guilt and bereavement. It is an extremely emotional time in their lives, a time when they themselves are very vulnerable.

As an ibu, a sheer imagination of my son missing even if he's playing hide and seek sends shivers down my spine.

As an anak polis pencen, I've picked up some hints from Bapak that there is no greater asset in the search for missing persons than the consistent distribution of information through every available means and the power of observations by the public.

As a blogger, I thought it would be a worthy cause indeed to help spread the word by posting information on the internet (blogs, emails, egroups, etc) through and through, in search of the missing SALHI. Any effort you can make to distribute this information is appreciated, not just by myself and Kak Pi Bani, but more importantly to SALHI's loved ones; Dr Najmiah and her family.

Anyone who has seen SALHI, please contact his father, En. Ahmad at 09-786 6040, 017-970 3227 or 012-296 2642.

If I may call upon all of us citizens of blogosphere who happen to be visiting this page, let us all pray and make doa that the past weeks that have taunted Dr Najmiah and her family longing for the lost brother SALHI, would not be prolonged to month(s) and year(s) of unresolved grieving.

Ya Allah, sesungguhnya Engkaulah yang memasukkan waktu malam ke dalam waktu siang, dan Engkau jualah yang memasukkan waktu siang ke dalam waktu malam. Ya Allah, Engkau maha berkuasa, maha pemurah lagi maha mengasihani. Engkau memahami segala isi hati. Permudahkanlah ujian yang mendatang ke atas Salhi dan keluarga beliau, semuga mereka dapat bertemu kembali dalam jangka waktu yang terdekat ini, dalam keadaan sihat dan selamat dari apa jua malapetaka dan bencana hendaknya. Amin, Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

To all bloggers who share the empathy I am feeling for Dr Najmiah and her family who are facing the harsh realities of the word "missing person", and would join me in saying a prayer and in cascading this information, God bless you all.

Missing Person

music by Michael W. Smith and Wayne Kirkpatrick

Another question in me
One for the powers that be
It's got me thrown
And so I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurrence
Feeling so out of placeGuarded and cynical now
Can't help but wondering how
My heart evolved into
A rock beating inside of me
So I reel
Such a stoic ordeal
Where's that feeling that I don't feelChorus:
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace, he disappeared into the void and
I've been searchin' for that missing personUnder a lavender moon
So many thoughts consume me
Who dimmed that glowing light
That once burned so bright in me
Is this a radical phase
A problematical age
That keeps me running
From all that I used to beIs there a way to return
Is there a way to unlearn
That carnal knowledge
That's chipping away at my soul
I've been gone too longWill I ever find my way homeHe used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
It's been a long time and I haven't seen him lately but
I've been searchin' for that missing person.

Wassalam,
Ibu