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Sam Ke Ting |
Malaysiakini : Net citizens are generally very angry because while some offenders
who have stolen so much money from the nation's coffers are roaming
about freely, a young woman has been sentenced to six years in jail.The
other reason is that these kids are a menace to other motorists, riding
on their bicycles in a dangerous manner. They have no business being on
a highway, and they are not only endangering their own lives but the
lives of many other citizens.
The third reason is that, as I see
it, some politicians try to racialise this case to win votes, but the
anger of net citizens has hit the roof that not only the Chinese but
many Malays are using this incident to speak up against the way how
things are developing in the country.
I noticed that an online
petition was, in fact, initiated by a Malay. Even Sam's lawyer was a
Malay, which goes to show that, with the exception of politicians who
continue to play on the racial card, we are still united as Malaysians.
While
most people would not even think of pressuring the authorities to
charge the parents for their negligence, it looks like what a young
Malay lawyer had put forward may be one of the only options to ensure
that basikal lanjak (illegally modified bicycles) racing does not happen anymore.
In a report by FMT,
lawyer Nor Zabetha Muhammad Nor said, "this was paramount when it comes
to the safety of these minors, adding that any such neglect should be
considered an offence under the Child Act 2001."
Perhaps, it is
time for net citizens to call on the parents of these kids to be charged
in court for their failure to keep their teenagers from behaving
menacingly on the highways, as they, too, can be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed for five years, if found guilty of neglecting the safety of their children.
In
short, it is not the accident or the jailing of Sam, but Malaysians,
regardless of race and religion, are angry with what they see happening
to the country.
People against Insanity
One of the most critical commentators is Mariam Mokhtar. In a video,
Mariam, in her own fashion, has probably made some of the most
sarcastic remarks about the entire episode. I sent it out to friends to
gauge their responses.
Being a Malay herself, no one can call her a
racist when she reprimands her own people. She feels she has to do it –
and she is right!
Most people are sympathetic towards the lady
not because she is Chinese but because such an accident should not have
happened in the first place. The teenagers riding their bicycles
recklessly on the highway were inviting disaster to happen, not only to
their own lives but to the lives of others.
If it did not happen
to Sam, it could happen to any of us. Even Johor Prince Tunku Idris
Sultan Ibrahim was not spared from this menace, which prompted His
Excellency to speak up on a personal observation of these teenagers in
his own state.
In the article carried by Malaysiakini
on Feb 25, 2017, Tunku Idris was responding to a campaign called
"Protest against Chinese woman who was not jailed or fined and was let
off by police just like that." He, too, was against the racialisation of
the accident.
Based on the videos released by net citizens, the
way these bicyclists were riding their bicycles on the road was simply
too dangerous. If not stopped immediately, similar accidents can happen
again. This is why I can understand why the amount of support Sam is
getting is simply overwhelming.
The only one weird response that I
received came from a former journalist with an English daily, whose
argument seems totally off-tangent, who said: "Because she is a single,
pretty looking 27-year old lady, that's why she gets plenty of public
support, ignoring the fact reckless driving was involved."
The
police have confirmed that Sam was not drunk, and neither was she on
drugs. She was driving within the speed limit, and it was a highway; and
based on the facts, the road itself was very dark. She could have
entered into a state of panic and lost control of the vehicle, and
fortunately enough, it did not hit all 30 kids.
Sam's car had
turned turtle, and she could have been killed in the accident. It is
obvious to me that the kids had no business riding their bicycles on the
highway. If a truck had come, the accident could have been much worse!
But,
in my opinion, what irks people the most is the way this government
conducts itself in this and other cases involving small offenders during
the movement control order. The conclusion I see written all over
everyone's mind is: "There appear to be two standards – one for the
elitists, the other for ordinary citizens."