The search for Siti Aishah Part 2

They flocked around Mak Mok with all cameras blazing. Flashes were blinding my eyes and television reporters where poking their microphones in the face of my Mak Mok. I, of course, by then had my camera out and shooting the whole thing as well. I was after all a journalist pursuing a story as well.

But Mak Mok had been briefed well by the reporter. She kept tight-lipped and just looked down at the floor as he escorted her and Hishammuddin Rais towards the exit. But the paparazzi weren’t having any of that. They continued to hound her and in the end, Hishammuddin Rais had to stop and make a statement.

“We have no immediate plans yet. Today is just a day of rest for us after a 12 hour flight,” he said.

They were then whisked away in a Mercedes Benz limousine. The paparazzi, keeping true to their notorious automobile-accident-conducive ways, ran along side the car as much as they could with cameras snapping away. I never had a chance to even speak to my aunty during the entire episode.

As the scene at airport died down, I went to a nearby café to send the video footage I had shot to the Astro AWANI studio back home. Media Prima’s London correspondent joined me. She was part of that British paparazzi. But she seemed nicer than that whole bunch.

“My editors in KL called me up yesterday and said that Astro AWANI is sending a whole production crew to pursue this Siti Aishah story. They didn’t know it was just going to be you alone!” she laughed.

Ahh… the joy of being a solo-journalist. Sometimes, my reputation tends to precede me. I had announced my departure for London live on television and I guess they were worried that they would lose out on the story. They had already lost out on the sensationalised fact that I was a relative of the missing Malaysian ‘slave’ Siti Aishah.

While we were having our coffee, I received a call from the BBC. I know their correspondent in Kuala Lumpur and she had given her London colleagues my phone number. They were now calling me because they want to interview me. If they couldn’t get Mak Mok, I was the second best choice. They agreed to send a car to pick me up from Heathrow and bring me to their studio in central London, and then to my hotel after the interview. And so I was hawked around at the BBC from one radio station to another and even for their television news. Then, they were even kind enough to offer me their broadcast facilities to do a live crossover for AWANI’s 7:45pm news.

By noon, I was done at the BBC and they sent me to my hotel. As soon as I checked in and took a warm shower, I slumped into bed and fell asleep. It would be almost 3pm before I woke up and ready to pursue the story of my missing aunty of over thirty years.

As soon as I got up, I tried calling my Mak Mok. Unfortunately, her telephone was either off or didn’t have global roaming. Then I tried calling Hishammuddin (he had given me his phone number earlier at the airport). He answered his phone but didn’t give me any definite answer of what their plans were.

Then, a cousin of mine in Malaysia sent me a message saying that he has a good friend working at the Malaysian High Commission in London and that I should give that person a call. So I did and, lo and behold, I found out that Mak Mok would be meeting the High Commissioner, Datuk Seri Zakaria Sulong, that evening at 4:40pm.

Lucky for me, my hotel wasn’t far off and so I set off on foot towards the High Commission. In 15 minutes. I was there. I met a couple of the Malaysian staff and they confirmed that Mak Mok is currently in a meeting with Datuk Seri Zakaria along with Hishammuddin and a reporter from the British newspaper. And so I waited.

After about half an hour, I heard them walking down the stairs. It was the reporter (who by now was a different one, one from London who had relieved the previous one who had come from the Asian bureau), followed by Mak Mok, Datuk Seri Zakaria and Hishammuddin.

Mak Mok noticed me first and the first thing she did was to call me over and give me hug. She told me everything was alright. Then I introduced myself to Datuk Seri Zakaria. By that time, the reporter had already set himself and Mak Mok up for an interview.

As soon as their interview ended, the reporter called for a taxi and wanted to rush Mak Mok and Hishammuddin away. But at the door, Mak Mok called me over again for another hug (yes, Mak Mok is known to be a hugger in the family!). Then I saw the glint in her eyes and I understood. I quickly turned my camera on and asked her for a few comments of what had transpired in the meeting.

Mak Mok was brilliant enough to play the family card to create an opportunity for me to get a quick interview with her. I was impressed at her journalism-savvyness! Not bad for a 70-plus year old former English teacher. (She would later proudly tell my mother of her intentions in London to get around the exclusivity the British newspaper had over her and to give her nephew… me… a scoop!) I immediately went back to the hotel and sent my footages and interview clips with Mak Mok and Datuk Seri Zakaria back home to the Awani studio. And so it was that Astro AWANI was the first media to break the news that Kamarmahtum Abdul Wahab would be able to meet her missing sister, Siti Aishah, the next day with the help of the Malaysian High Commissioner, and if that failed, she had prepared a letter to be passed to her.