But a group of “volunteer undertakers” in Sabah’s east coast Sandakan district has proven that notion wrong in the last two years or so as it has been providing free funeral service for the needy.

Sandakan-born Yunizam Yusop, 32, also known as Abam Botak, started the initiative after seeing the hardship faced by poor families

He is part of an eight-member team that would call on families willing to take up their service, which also involves a hearse to transport the remains for burial.

The team has undertaken funeral arrangements for Muslims and non-Muslims.

“We are doing this on a voluntary basis, there are no leaders or workers as all are volunteers,” Yunizam told FMT.

“We know that funeral arrangements can be costly so we came up with the idea of helping to ease their burden.

“We will not ask or take a sen from anyone as this is not a business. It is free so long as the burial site is ready, although we will help cover the grave later.”

The team also provides transport for families wanting to ferry their dearly departed to other districts for burial.

“The farthest we’ve been was from Sandakan to Tenom (more than 370km away in the interior). We have also gone to Kota Belud and Kota Marudu (in north Sabah),” Yunizam said.

The volunteers have been busy recently because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past two months, they have undertaken funeral arrangements for 60 Muslims who have died from the infection.

The team was appointed by the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan to handle arrangements for those who cannot afford funeral services. It was trained to follow the SOPs in March.

Yunizam said there was one day when they carried out four burials.

“We make sure the process is carried out correctly and that the deceased receive the utmost respect they deserve. At the same time, their families can take consolation that everything is handled properly and with dignity,” he said.

“We ensure that we follow the guidelines while the health authorities and police are present to monitor us until the entire process is done.”

Asked how they keep themselves motivated despite not getting paid and the health risks, Yunizam said: “We don’t mind not getting any payment because we have jobs like photography and some are mechanics while I’m into activities like minor house renovations.

“All the prayers that accompany us while we are doing this are enough.”

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