Chiki Fawzi Reveals The Reason For Not Sailing To Gaza

Chiki Fawzi (Instagram @chikifawzi)

JAKARTA Chiki Fawzi shares a story that is not widely known to the public. He admitted that he had actually prepared himself to join the humanitarian voyage to Gaza with the Global South Flotilla team. However, fate said otherwise.

"The feeling is that I continue to accompany them because I should be there with them," said Chiki Fawzi in the South Jakarta area, recently.

For months, Chiki has been in intensive training since late August, learning various scenarios of sailing to strategies to deal with Israeli interceptions. The hope is that only one is to be able to participate in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.

But when everything is in sight, a big decision must be taken. I have to accept the fact that the majority of Indonesia cannot sail because the coaching decision is better, we leave the seat to people from other countries," he said.

What made the decision even more difficult was the departure time which coincided with the date of her mother's death.

"If I went sailing yesterday, at the same date and time when our shipping friends were kidnapped by Israel, it was the same date and time last year when Allah took my mother," Chiki said in a trembling voice.

He imagined how his father would feel if on the same date, he was caught in international waters.

"So after I thought about it, I didn't go sailing with Qadarullah. I have to empathize with my father," he continued.

Despite failing to participate in sailing on the first humanitarian mission to Gaza, Chiki Fawzi stressed his struggle did not stop there. Together with world activists, he is committed to continuing efforts to open up humanitarian corridors for the Palestinian people.

"We will make a new voyage from Indonesia. That's the last meeting, that's the plan. So we won't just stop here," said Chiki.

According to him, the Global South Flotilla team is now more legally and logistically ready. "This time it's much more prepared. There are many lawyers from Ramallah and the West Bank who have been prepared to help us-we who are intercepted with Israel," he explained.

Chiki also highlighted the concrete steps taken by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim. "Pak Anwar Ibrahim has flown the best lawyers to Jordan to help the Malaysian delegation who was detained. I want to cry, the Prime Minister is really cool," said Chiki in an amazed tone.

He hopes that the Indonesian government can do the same. "Hopefully the Indonesian government will knock. This is a global issue where many world activists are involved. The Indonesian government should help. Please," he said.

Even though he did not join the ship, Chiki still distributed aid by land in Jordan. "As long as you can still walk, walk," he said.

Even though in the end I also have to empathize with my father, it must also start to be realistic.

For Chiki, the struggle against injustice in Gaza is not just a temporary mission. 'Keep trying, keep trying. Because what we want to fight is the stigma that is instilled by the zionists in our heads, if we are helpless. Even though if it's crowded, we can do something," he said.

Previously, Chiki Fawzi and Wanda Hamidah participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla towards Gaza. Global Sumud Flotilla itself is a global humanitarian action that seeks to sail to bring aid to Gaza. The voyage, which is also fronted by global activists such as Greta Thurnberg, has the ambition to penetrate the Israeli military blockade (IDF) so that it can reach Gaza.

Unfortunately in the middle of the road, the good intentions of Ikang Fawzi's daughter and the late Marisa Haque had to stop in the middle of the road leaving Wanda Hamidah who continued her humanitarian journey.