12 Years After MH370 Disappeared: A Longing That Never Fades

By Nur Adila Abdul Wahab

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) -- The moving lyrics “Bukannya diri ini tak terima kenyataan, hati ini hanya rindu” (It’s not that this heart refuses to accept reality; it simply longs), in Hanya Rindu, sung by Andmesh Kamaleng, mirror the enduring sorrow of families left behind after the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappearance - a loss that time has not erased, but quietly transformed into an unending longing.

Twelve years have passed since the aircraft vanished during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members on March 8, 2014.

Yet for the families and loved ones of those on board, time has never erased the sense of loss. Life goes on as usual, but every time the date of March 8 arrives, memories of their beloved return - along with a longing that never fades.

For some relatives, the journey through more than a decade has been anything but easy. They have had to learn to adapt to lives that changed in an instant - raising children without a husband or wife by their side, continuing daily routines while carrying memories that never truly dim.

Nurlaila Ngah @ Awang, 52, the wife of senior flight steward LS Wan Swaid Wan Ismail, shared in an interview that her longing for her husband has never faded, even after 12 years. For a time, she said, she could not bring herself to eat - or even look at - his favourite foods: tat nanas (pineapple tarts) and laksam.

Nurlaila, who had previously served as a Malaysia Airlines staff member herself, said that, to ease her longing, she would sometimes visit Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

“I now live in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, so the airport is not far from my house. Whenever I miss him, I go to the airport. I’ll go to the observation deck and watch the planes… just to ease the longing.

“But even when I see the planes, I end up crying,” she said, adding that the trauma of the tragedy continues to affect her. Even now, her heart races whenever she sees a flight crew, and she still feels afraid to board an aircraft.

Sharing how she carried on with life after the loss, Nurlaila expressed gratitude that Allah had eased her path, though she acknowledged that it was not easy raising three children as a single mother.

“Alhamdulillah, my children are all grown up now. The eldest is 24, the second is 22, and the youngest is 20. We’ve continued with our lives as best as we can. My eldest son is currently pursuing a degree in civil engineering at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Shah Alam, and he is close to completing his studies.

“My second son is pursuing a degree in software engineering at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, while my youngest daughter is studying for a diploma at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia. Climbing our way forward just to get through daily life back then was not easy. Alhamdulillah, everything is by the will of Allah SWT, which gave me the strength. My children have also come to understand the loss of their father,” she said.

When asked about her hopes regarding efforts to uncover the truth behind the MH370 disappearance, she expressed gratitude to the Malaysian government for continuing the search.

“I would like to thank the government, Malaysia Airlines, and especially the people of Malaysia, who have always been very caring and who continue to pray for us. With the prayers of Malaysians - and even from people around the world - my husband has received prayers from across the globe. For that, I am deeply grateful,” she said.

The same sentiment was shared by Grace Subathirai Nathan, 38, whose mother, Anne Daisy, was a passenger on Flight MH370. She acknowledged that the past 12 years have not been easy for her family, particularly in the early days following the disappearance.

“Of course, at the beginning, it was much harder because there was so much uncertainty, and it happened very suddenly. It took time for us to process the information. At first, we didn’t know what happened, and even now we still don’t know what happened, but I think over time it has become easier to deal with,” she said when contacted.

Grace, a lawyer, said that one of the biggest challenges her family faced was adjusting to the loss of a loved one and the sudden changes in their daily lives.

What is most heartbreaking, she said, is realising that the person they long for is no longer there to share life’s important moments.

“My mum wasn’t there at my graduation, my mum wasn’t there for my wedding, and she didn’t get to meet her grandchildren. Those are the moments when you miss them the most,” said the mother of two.

Despite the difficult loss, she was deeply touched by the support her family received from many people following Flight MH370’s disappearance.

“In my personal experience, I find that people are very sympathetic, and a lot of people do care. Especially in the first 10 years, we organised remembrance events to mark each passing year. Many people were very generous - some sponsored LCD screens, while others helped us with venues and coordination.

“We have seen many people who understand that we are going through difficult times, and are willing to help organise and support these events,” she said.

Despite the many unanswered questions surrounding Flight MH370’s disappearance, the families of those on board continue to move forward with their lives as best they can. Each has found their own way of coming to terms with the loss - whether by drawing strength from the support of family and friends, or by finding solace in the hope that one day the truth will finally be revealed.

The aircraft had been scheduled to land at Beijing Capital International Airport at 6.30 am local time, but it disappeared from radar and never reached its destination.

Although search operations - among the largest in aviation history - were carried out jointly by Malaysia, Australia and China, the aircraft was not found within the main search zone in the southern Indian Ocean.

Since then, several pieces of debris, confirmed or believed to be from MH370, have been discovered along coastlines in the western Indian Ocean, including Mozambique, Madagascar, and Réunion Island.

-- BERNAMA