KUALA LUMPUR - The Sultan of Selangor has granted pardons to convicts, but he has never met those he has given such freedom.
One exception was Dr Malik Yatam, the country’s first inmate to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) while serving a prison sentence.
Malik, now 39, was sent to jail at the age of 14 in 2001 and never imagined he would walk out of prison 25 years later with a "Dr” title to his name.
He was granted a royal pardon on Dec 11, 2024, in conjunction with the Sultan’s birthday.
Today, the Sabahan runs a chilli farm in Selangor with several former convicts as his partners.
Soft-spoken and reflective, the Kadazandusun traced his life journey and experiences, mostly sad and painful ones, marked by a determination to improve himself through education while in prison, when hope seemed distant.
Malik’s story is deeply tragic, yet also a testament to resilience, a tale about a human being who refused to give up on himself when the world had already moved on.
He could not contain his emotions and composure, as the one-hour audience granted by His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Tuesday came to an end.
Tears flowed as he hugged the Sultan, who had promised to sponsor Malik’s umrah trip with his wife, a civil servant.
Malik left his home in Keningau for Kuala Lumpur with seven others, lured by a promise of a RM800 monthly job to support his impoverished family.
But after six months working in a Sekinchan restaurant, he was not paid a single sen as he became a victim of labour exploitation and physical abuse.
In a desperate attempt to escape, an altercation broke out, which led to the unfortunate death of the employer.
Malik was sentenced to detention at the state Ruler’s pleasure, spared the death penalty under the Child Act, but imprisoned indefinitely with no release date.
Unlike people of his age who would just be starting their school life with fond memories of childhood, his world came to a crushing stop.
But the dropout found a kind juvenile offender officer who planted the spark in Malik to continue his studies.
He borrowed books from fellow inmates and endured the mockery of prisoners who laughed at his intention, asking why he bothered when there was no date of his release.
Unperturbed, Malik sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in 2006 at the age of 21, followed by Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) a year later.
He eventually completed his PhD dissertation in business administration from Open University Malaysia (OUM), writing a dissertation on the entrepreneurial skills of convicts.
"It was very tough. There were restrictions on online research because of security restraints for prisoners.
"But my thesis supervisor helped me a lot in my research as he would source reference books and notes,” he said.
He acknowledged the support of the Prisons Department, religious authorities and benefactors like Datuk Dr Hartini Zainuddin, the prominent activist behind Yayasan Chow Kit, who funded his studies.
Faith has indeed played a big part in Malik’s life. He embraced Islam in 2002 and said religion had certainly played a major role, as he kept saying he was "syukur to Allah” (thanks to Allah) for guiding his journey.
He met his wife by chance on his flight back to Kota Kinabalu from KLIA after his release, helping her with her luggage, before discovering they were connected through a relative.
"I am now encouraging her to pursue her studies as I believe education can change our mindset and our lives,’’ he said.
Now an advocate of education, Malik said he gives motivational talks to youth in the hope they will be as determined as him.
Having "grown up” in Kajang Prison, he admits adjusting to life outside has been challenging, from learning to use a smartphone to navigating e-hailing apps.
"I had difficulties e-hailing for transport and was scammed twice for being kind-hearted in sending money to someone who claimed she needed money for her children, but luckily, my wife keeps me grounded,” he laughed.
Malik’s story is an incredible and powerful one. He pursued his education with humility and grit, knowing he had to work twice as hard to be seen as half as worthy.
There were likely moments of exhaustion, moments when quitting would have made sense. Yet he stayed the course - through degrees, through setbacks, through years of effort that demanded patience and belief. And then, one day, he earned a PhD.
But this is the gem - he met a VVIP prisoner who approached him for advice on whether he should pursue his PhD on learning of his successful story, which had gone around the prison.
"I told him if I can do it, you can certainly do it better than me,” he said. - BERNAMA