KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Sarawak state government today presented an RM100,000 cheque to each family of five victims killed in a Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram.
According to the Sarawak public communications unit (Ukas), the cheques and education sponsorship from Yayasan Sarawak were presented by Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg at a ceremony at the Sarawak state legislative assembly in Kuching today.
“As I promised, we are providing some assistance to the families. However, the loss of a family member is far more than that, and cannot be measured in monetary terms. Nevertheless, we hope this assistance will help ease their burden to some extent,” Abang Johari was quoted as telling reporters.
The five recipients of the aid were Nor Izzati Syamimi Suhaimi, Larry Bilong Kule, Mohd Faiz Ab Malek, John Then Hua Ken, and Stephanie Essah Incham.
They are the respective spouses of the deceased: pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, staff nurse Jessie Paya Jok, medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamarudin, staff nurse Debra Moset, and assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry.
Zainol Afiq was employed by helicopter operator Layang Layang Aerospace, whereas the other four victims were health care workers from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Yayasan Sarawak’s education sponsorship was presented to the children of Nor Izzati, Stephanie, Then, and Larry. The sponsorship covers education from Year One of primary school until PhD level. Nor Izzati and Stephanie have two children each who are aged six years or younger.
Stephanie, who was a homemaker while the late Alexson was the family’s sole breadwinner, also received a job offer at Curtin University, according to the Sarawak premier’s official Facebook account, Sarawakku.
Last Saturday, all five were posthumously awarded the Pegawai Bintang Sarawak (PBS) in recognition of their service and sacrifice, in conjunction with the 80th birthday celebration of Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The Sarawak state government first announced the RM100,000 contributions and education sponsorship on September 9, a day after the Long Lellang tragedy that killed all five onboard. Zainol Afiq and Dr Ainul Baraah hailed from Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan respectively, whereas Alexson, Debra, and Jessie were from Sarawak.
Five weeks after the September 8 FDS helicopter crash, the MOH announced yesterday lump-sum payments from the federal government of at least RM130,000 to each family of its four deceased staff, but excluded mention of Zainol Afiq, who was a private-sector worker.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad posted on X that the Madani government and MOH continued to prioritise the welfare of the families of the four health workers, but didn’t explain why Zainol Afiq was omitted from the ministry’s statement.
Stephanie, Larry, and Nor Izzati previously criticised the MOH’s lack of support in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, thanking Layang Layang Aerospace instead for financial assistance, including covering funeral expenses.
Stephanie shared photos of today’s cheque presentation ceremony in Kuching, saying on her Facebook page: “To the Sarawak government, thank you so much for all this. The Sarawak government has helped a lot since Day One.”
The 30-year-old widow didn’t post anything about MOH’s announcement of the RM130,000 federal payout. Neither did Nor Izzati, whose late husband wasn’t mentioned in the ministry’s statement.
Utusan Borneo reported Larry today as questioning MOH’s use of the word “bantuan” (assistance), saying the RM130,000 payout from Putrajaya, alongside pension benefits, were an entitlement for the four deceased civil servants based on the terms of their service.
While welcoming posthumous promotions for the four, Larry perceived a lack of recognition from the federal government, especially the MOH, compared to the Sarawak state government’s measures.
He also demanded an apology from the authorities for the way they handled the victims’ families.
