Though a day late, his children who had been longing for him all these years consider the vaccination being the best Father’s Day gift.

The good news was conveyed to Bernama by his eldest daughter Hasliza who also attached the latest photo of her “Abah” after his vaccination at the KPJ Tawakkal KL Specialist Hospital today.

On Nov 15, 2020, Bernama reported the search appeal for Ali by his youngest daughter Khazimah. Her father was found in less than 24 hours after the news about him was reported.

Hailing from Kuala Selangor, Ali was last seen by his children in 2001 after parting ways with his wife.

Ali was found at the “Bukit Batok Home For The Aged” nursing home in Singapore on Nov 16, 2020, and returned safely to Malaysia on Dec 19, 2020. He now lives with Hasliza in Batu Caves, Selangor.

Asked on how her father has been getting on after six months under her care, Hasliza said her father is fine despite his age, and that she and her siblings were grateful to be able to take care of him.

“In the beginning, there were challenges and we needed to make adjustments. Abah, now and then, used to pack up to return to Singapore. There were also occasions when he wanted to go out to find work. But after being persuaded, he stopped doing so.

“Sometimes, we feel sad especially when Abah asks for dishes that he had not eaten for a long time or had never eaten. We just follow Abah’s wishes whenever we can,” she said.

Meanwhile, Khazimah said she is the happiest person because most of her wishes came true, one of them being to celebrate Ali’s birthday for the first time on Dec 31, 2020.

Khazimah, who started her search for her father on social media, was also able to celebrate Ramadan and Aidilfitri for the first time with her father.

During the search, she appended the only photo of her father that she had kept all the while.

“Finally, I was able to hold Abah’s hand on Hari Raya. For the first time in my life too, I was able to go Raya shopping for Abah,” she said happily.

“The only thing we have not been able to do is gather all the siblings. It is all because of Covid-19. We thought we could celebrate this year joyfully,” said Khazimah, who lives in Selayang near Kuala Lumpur.

The second of Ali’s three children, Haslina, works as a nurse and lives in Terengganu.

Their mission to bring Ali home took only a month with the cooperation of various parties in Singapore and Malaysia.

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