I AM feeling melancholic. Tomorrow marks one month of the passing of my good friend, Yusri Azmin Aziz.
Among friends, he was known as “Chip”, an endearing nickname modified from the word “chief”.
To many of us, Chip was more than just a friend; he was our “taiko”, mentor, confidante. An all-round nice guy who was also a gem of a writer.
When I was a rookie reporter, I remember one day reading a piece he rewrote. A toddler, if my memory serves me well, was in dire need of a few thousand ringgit to undergo heart surgery. The initial article did not draw the desired response, and Chip was asked to rewrite the report. I vividly recall how touched I was when reading his piece early the next morning. I went up to the finance department to hand over a small contribution to the toddler, only to be greeted by a long queue of New Straits Times Press staff.
They, too, had read Chip’s piece, and were there to also chip in. Within the next day, public contribution surpassed the amount the toddler needed.
Chip’s writing skills were second to none. Not many I know could write like him. He also had a keen interest in music, a passion we shared. We played in the same media band for years.
Both Chip and I were also music reviewers; and his were always a delight to read. They rivalled those you get in magazines such as Rolling Stone.
For all his talents, Chip was never one to boast or hog the limelight. Ever ready to help, he often belanja makan when we were struggling with our measly salaries during our rookie days.
He was the man to look for when your chips were down. He was never one to judge; and was always gentle and thoughtful.
I had a hand in match-making Chip and his wife, Azian. They hit it off immediately. They have a teenage son, who is the spitting image of Chip.
Azian has been a pillar of strength, commitment and faith. She had been a loyal wife, daughter-in-law and mother throughout the months after Yusri went into a paralysis state from suffering a stroke.
For almost a year, she would go to Shah Alam where she works as a lecturer, come home to pick her son up, and take care of her sickly mother-in-law as well as Yusri. On many occasions, Yusri had to be warded due to complications. She never once complained.
When Yusri passed on due to lung complications, I was at the mortuary. Her first words were: “I see him when I look at you.”
You can’t imagine just how much I miss Yusri.
For all her patience and commitment, I admire Azian, and pray to Allah that she be accorded a place in heaven for being a dutiful wife. Her loss is immense, but Azian is as strong as they get. She accepts that her beloved husband is in a better place and that she must continue her journey for herself and their son, Athir. She has closure, which is more than I can say for the families and next of kin of victims of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the search for MH370, had concluded that the plane was unlikely to be found in a stretch of the Indian Ocean search crews have been combing for two years. The plane, which vanished during a Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight on March 8, 2014, may have instead crashed in an area farther to the north. There were 239 people on board.
Experts believe there is a need to continue the search, but a new search will require fresh funding commitments from the countries involved.
Malaysia, Australia and China had agreed in July that the US$160 million (RM716 million) search will be suspended once the current stretch of ocean is exhausted unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint the plane’s exact location.
Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester, however, suggested an extension of the hunt based on the latest analysis was unlikely, noting that the report “does not give a specific location of the missing aircraft”.
It bothers me to the core that the bereaved next of kin would not have closure; and must accept with calmness the fate of their loved ones. It is not an easy decision. I can only pray that it is the right one.
Email: yushem@nst.com.my
YUSHAIMI YAHAYA, is NST’s deputy group editor, wishes all Christians a Merry Christmas.