From muddy pitch to morality...
Written on 7/14/2004 12:56:00 am by sikapitan
Let me just start by saying that the weather is playing tricks on us again. Why? Only a few weeks ago drought was predicted by our Meteorological Department (me thinks) which would lead to a nationwide water shortage, causing cars to be dirtier than ever and increasing the sale of deodorants. When the news first came out, my immediate reaction was “here we go again”. I mean, it has become something akin to a joke the way we, especially here in Urban Central, become so dependant on the weather for something as essential as water. I would prefer not having to wait outside my gate for the tankers to come in my singlet to collect oily water (like the last time a major shortage occurred) than being able to go to the tallest building in the world (for which in reality I’ve never been to, since Suria KLCC is not realllllyyy the tallest building right?). But hey, who am I to tell our leaders where our priorities lie?
Back to the weather. It’s been raining for the past few days (and in fact it started last week), causing havoc to football pitches all over Shah Alam. We can’t train properly, and I fear that when the Inter-Fac Sports meet begins, we’ll be too far off the ideal fitness level to emulate last year’s batch that went all the way to the finals. My point is this: Don’t believe the weatherman (and I’m not talking about the weather only- go figure).
Interesting letter of opinion I read in yesterday’s newspaper pointing out the fact that there are more policemen conducting speed traps at night than there are patrolling ‘hotspots’. This letter was written in light of the murder of Darren in Uncle Don, Hartamas. Of course, this opinion cannot be substantiated by any actual statistics but the perception among the more “alert” members of society is that our law-enforcement agencies have got their priorities all wrong. Maybe it’s too harsh to blame our police force, which is already beleaguered by lack of manpower and resources, but if not them, then who? Perhaps our education system needs to be reviewed in relation to the rising number of youths involved in crimes? Or our own moral values which has become increasing contradictory to the so-called Asian mindset? A thorough research is needed to properly understand the socio-economic impact of modernism to our distinctly unique multi-racial community. Is the law adequate or does the problem lies in enforcement of such rules? The government must also take a more measured approach before announcing any policies to avoid waste and ineffectiveness. For example, there was a period last year where there was a big hu-ha over tinted cars and the police went all out to nab these “culprits”. Then, within a few months, there was the crackdown on VCD sellers, which has since subsided.
My point is that there shouldn’t be knee-jerk reaction for every situation. The recent spate of snatch thefts (the situation) have resulted in increased police patrols in high-crime areas (the reaction). However, the police cannot cope with such demanding schedule which drains precious manpower and resources. Has anyone considered making proper sidewalks for pedestrian that is guarded by concrete slabs? Certainly in Subang the amount of money spent on “beautification” and “taman millennium” is more than the cost of securing the pavements of the residential areas. These would deter motorcycle snatch thieves who prowls area where pedestrians have to walk so close to the road.
Ahh..well…till we all take the time to stop and think…I bid you all goodbye.
Au revoir.
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