JOHOR BARU: After years of battling drug addiction and facing the revolving doors of prison, E. Simon Raj (pic) decided to turn his life around after his four-year-old daughter could not recognise him.
“Why do you look like my father?” the child asked while looking at him in prisoner attire.
This was in August last year and his wife, bringing along their youngest child, went to the prison not to visit him but to inform that she was leaving him.
“That was a big wake-up call for me when my own daughter could not recognise me,” Simon Raj said.
Upon his release from prison in January, he sought out his wife to seek her forgiveness, found a job and sought help from non-governmental organisations to help him rebuild his life.
He also started going to a church, where he played musical instruments with like- minded people.
Relating his past, the 36-year-old father of two said his path towards drug addiction began shortly after losing his job as a security officer in Singapore about a decade ago.
“I desperately needed money to feed my family, so I began selling drugs. But after a while, I started taking the drugs out of curiosity.
“It did not take long for me to get hooked. I realised too late that the addiction was hard to quit,” he said in an interview.
In 2016, Simon Raj was convicted for selling and abusing drug and was sent to jail for nearly a year. After his release, he found a job.
“Everything seemed to be going well at first, but it all went downhill again when Covid-19 struck in 2020.
“I lost my job and the idea of selling drugs for quick money resurfaced. Just like that, I went back to the world of drugs.
“My addiction grew stronger and the money I made from selling the illegal substance was not enough to feed my addiction,” he said, adding that he resorted to committing crime.
In April last year, he was jailed for robbery.
Today, Simon Raj has successfully turned his life around and works as a forklift driver.
He actively participates in programmes to assist ex-convicts and drug addicts in turning their lives around too.
“Change may be difficult but it is possible. Find a person you can trust and talk to. It is important to have that someone with the compassion to lead and support you because this is not an easy journey,” Simon Raj said.
He is also an active member of his church and shares his experience with youths, encouraging them to find interests they are passionate about.
As for family members, he urged them to give drug addicts or prisoners a second chance.
“The second chance that my wife gave me was a saving grace. I believed I would have become an addict again if my family had not forgiven me,” he added.
