Picture us happy

Picture us happy

A day before her death, Madam Maslin Ahmad Basri shared on Facebook how proud she was that her children could go to the market on their own.

Tragically, the siblings, age nine and 10, will now have to face the future without their parents.

Madam Maslin, 32, and her husband, Mr Jumarie Jumahat, 38, died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday at about 11pm on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

Mr Jumarie, a motorcycle enthusiast, was riding his Suzuki Hayabusa, a 1,300cc sports bike, and Madam Maslin was riding pillion when they are understood to have skidded near the Upper Jurong exit of the PIE.

A police spokesman confirmed the accident involving a motorcycle on the PIE at 11.04pm, heading towards Tuas.

Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are investigating.

The New Paper understands that no other vehicle was involved.

Family and friends spoke of a couple deeply in love and who went nearly everywhere together.

They lived in Woodlands with their two children, a boy and a girl.

We are not naming the children to protect their privacy.

Posts on Madam Maslin's Facebook page showed a woman intensely proud of her children and taxi-driver husband.

In a post at about 8am on Friday, she wrote of her joy when her children went to the wet market and supermarket for the first time without her.

"Though a little apprehensive about them being able to go around on their own, I still put my faith unto them, knowing that they'd figure out somehow...

"Having a phone on their own makes things easier as we went paperless - as the (shopping) list was put into a collage and sent via WA (Whatsapp Messenger)," wrote Madam Maslin, the principal tutor at a tuition centre she founded.

She added that, gradually, she wanted to give her nine-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son responsibilities so they would become better at handling life issues as they grow up.

She listed doing simple household chores as some of the ways she was empowering her children.

SHOW LOVE

"So many I see who are so smart in their education but is (sic) totally ZERO and clueless in handling personal and especially HOME Matters...

"After such great help, do remember to offer treats (once in a while) to affirm our appreciation towards their effort and help. (sic)"Madam Maslin would often upload pictures of her husband and children.

Poignantly, in a post dated May 26, she wrote about why she loved "wefies" - group pictures taken by one person in the group.

"One day we will all be gone and with these few stuff I do and have done, hopefully my children will get to have with them - some pieces of us, picturing us as happy as we are now - just at their fingertips, wherever they go," she said.

When The New Paper visited Mr Jumarie's mother's Yishun home yesterday evening, a relative answered the door but refused to comment.

lawsm@sph.com.sg

'They were very much in love'

Cabby Jumarie Jumahat was a biking enthusiast, his friend told The New Paper.

A former instructor at the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre in Ubi, Mr Jumarie was also a pioneering member of the Sport Motorcycle Tourers (SMT) group, said the friend, Mr Hanis Malek.

That was where he got to know Mr Jumarie, whom he considers "closer than a brother".

"He was someone who was very friendly and talkative," Mr Hanis said, adding that the last time he met Mr Jumarie was about a month ago when they had coffee in Mr Hanis' Toa Payoh home.

On the Facebook page of the Sport Motorcycle Tourers (SMT), where Mr Jumarie's death was announced, more than 900 people have left condolence messages.

SPORTS BIKE

Known in biking circles as "Boy Busa", Mr Jumarie rode a Suzuki Hayabusa 1300, a bike marketed as the ultimate sport bike that can hit top speeds of 300kmh.

As part of the SMT group, Mr Hanis and Mr Jumarie took road trips to places such as Kuala Lumpur and Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

During all these trips, Madam Maslin Ahmad Basri would be riding pillion with Mr Jumarie, Mr Hanis said.

"He really loved his wife and they were always together," he added, his voice trailing off.

This was backed up by Mr Jumarie's cousin, who did not want to be named.

"They always went touring together... You could see on their Facebook pages that they were very much in love and they doted on their children a lot," he said.

Mr Jumarie and Madam Maslin were buried yesterday evening at the Lim Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery, where more than 100 people showed up to bid them a final farewell


This article was first published on June 15, 2015.
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