PETALING JAYA: When he was barely a year old, Ahmad Jamali Husain Abd Rafi was found in the back seat of a taxi by a religious school teacher and because he was found without any documents no one could claim him.
Named after the man who found and delivered him to the Welfare Department’s Tungku Budriah Children’s home in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Ahmad Jamali was registered as a stateless orphan. He is believed to have been born in Malaysia.
Despite being registered in the welfare system for almost 10 years and having been adopted by Malaysian parents, he is yet to be recognised as a Malaysian citizen.
At the age of four, he was adopted by customer service consultant Ahmad Tarmidzi Maidin, 42, and his wife, Nor Izeni Ismail, 37, and moved to live with them in Malacca in March 2017.
The couple has two other boys aged 10 and three, who are also adopted as they have no biological children of their own.
“When the Persatuan Kebajikan Anak Kami (PKAK) founder contacted me and said there was a four-year old boy who needed a family, I did not think twice and agreed to adopt him.
“We have never seen him, but we were told he was an African baby based on his physical features. And although we don’t have much in terms of luxury, we were happy and content with our lives and we knew we could give Ahmad Jamali as much love as he needed,” he said.
Ahmad Tarmidzi and Nor Izeni now work for the association as full-time caretakers at the NGOs’ care centre in Bangsar.
He said Merdeka celebrations have been extra special since they adopted Ahmad Jamali.
This is because it is standard procedure for the government to register undocumented babies’ birthdays on Aug 31.
“Merdeka has always been one of the main events in our home as we get to celebrate Malaysia’s independence and our son’s birthday. We feel so honoured.”
Adopting a child of different race, especially one that does not look like a typical Malaysian, raised eyebrows among family, friends and even strangers.
“We still get stares from strangers when we go out, but after six years of this, we are almost used to it,” Nor Izeni said, adding that she and her husband love Ahmad Jamali just as much as her other sons.
Nor Izeni recalled a time when Ahmad Jamali was teased at school for having dark skin and curly hair.
“The kids called him names, but we were lucky my other son is in the same class and stood up for Ahmad Jamali. He even told the teacher about what happened.
“Ahmad Jamali is a good son and often helps me at home. He is shy, but very protective of his brothers too,” she said, adding that he is a talented football player and well-liked by his friends.
Nor Izeni also said sometimes strangers find it amazing that Ahmad Jamali speaks fluent Bahasa Malaysia.
“We are raising him, so of course, he speaks Bahasa Malaysia. It is the only language he knows fluently, other than some English he learns at school,” she said.
This year, the association is raising funds for Ahmad Jamali’s birthday celebrations.
Its deputy director (operations), Ku Noor Ammarah Ku Amir, said Ahmad Jamali has never experienced a waterpark before or stayed in a hotel.
“We hope with the help of corporate sponsors and individual donors, we can take Ahmad Jamali and his family on a short staycation at a waterpark and hotel nearby,” she said.
Those interested to know more may contact Ku Noor Ammarah at 011-14853707 or via their Facebook at Persatuan Kebajikan Anak Kami.
As the family looks forward to celebrating Merdeka and Ahmad Jamali’s birthday, they are an example of what Keluarga Malaysia symbolises – Malaysians who are colour blind in the face of race and religion.
