Inmates released through PBSL vow to turn over a new leaf

KUANTAN: When the warden called out her name yesterday, an inmate of Bentong Prison near here known as Nurul admitted to experiencing palpitations, wondering if there were complaints about her or if she had done anything wrong.

As it turned out, she received some good news when told that she has been listed as one of the prisoners selected to be released today through the Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL) in conjunction with the 66th Independence Day, which is celebrated tomorrow.

Nurul, 32, who hails from Pekan near here, admitted that it never crossed her mind that she would be released early because her two-year prison term for theft started in December 2022 and there is still 'a lot of time left to serve'.

"I could only cry when I was given the good news. My first thought was about my mother, whom I have not hugged since being sent to prison. Every time she visited me, we could only talk on the phone. It's not the same and a very really painful lesson learned.

"I am determined to turn over a new leaf and make a positive comeback. Hopefully, I will be given strength and time to spend with my mother. I can't imagine how it would have been if anything had happened to my mother while I was in prison," she said when met at the PBSL programme at the Penor Prison here today.

The release was witnessed by Pahang Prisons deputy director Raja Mohd Amazon Raja Daud and Penor Prisons director Fayrouz Ahmad Zawawi.

Another prisoner released through the PBSL, Lizan, 47, is determined not to throw away the opportunity to catch up on lost time with his family, especially his six children after being imprisoned for drug offences in August last year.

"My youngest daughter was only nine months old when I was arrested. I can't wait to see her especially her childish antics as I've been told," he said.

Meanwhile, the wife of a prisoner known as Zila, 41, from Maran near here, said her five children, aged between five and 19, can't wait to see their father, especially since she told them that she would go to Kuantan to fetch their father on Wednesday (today).

Zila also said that her children have been in a happy mood since she received a phone call about her husband's release on Monday (Aug 28), adding that the little ones have been constantly asking her when their father, who was sentenced to eight months in prison in April, will be coming home.

"The children are very close to their father. I hope they will inspire my husband to change for the better and not get involved with drugs anymore," she said.

Meanwhile, Raja Mohd Amazon said a total of 43 inmates, including four women, aged between 23 and 56 were released today through the PBSL in conjunction with the Independence Day celebrations.

They comprised 27 inmates from the Penor Prison in Kuantan and the rest are from the Bentong Prison, with a total of 585 of them released under the PBSL so far.

-- BERNAMA