Written on 9/22/2007 03:55:00 pm by sikapitan
No man should ever suffer the sorrow of burying their own child. Death comes in many ways, and we come to expect it in certain circumstances. Your old grandpa suffering from heart attack, though a loss is one you probably see coming a mile away. But what do you do when you’re in Jazimin Abdul Jalil’s shoes? How do you respond to the fact that your daughter, your own flesh and blood, has died in such atrocious circumstances?
Nurin Jazlin suffered as no person, let alone a child, has to. Sexual assault on a young child evokes feeling of disgust unlike any other crime. Just imagining the emotional suffering that she has to go through can make even the strongest of men squirm in their pants. It’s a sick act, one that deserves the outmost attention as in my opinion it represents a disturbing increasing trend of dangerous crimes in Malaysia.
In my personal opinion, this sort of crime are the most dangerous not because of its effect, but because we can’t understand its cause(s), which is even more horrifying. Nothing frustrates crime-busters more than crimes that defies conventional norm. Yes, criminal psychologist probably has a general profile for sexual offenders, but how do we identify this group of people? How do we help them, understand them, before their frustration results in violence?
I wouldn’t have the slightest idea, but the police must be scratching their heads when crimes like this come up. They have to get off their comfortable chair and start investigating, something which some police officers probably aren’t looking forward to.
But in any case, I urge readers, regardless of your race, religion, or nationality, to pray for Nurin’s soul and more importantly, work together to prevent anything remotely similar from happening. As a community, Malaysians are severely lacking in courage to stand up against crime. We will just watch as people fight, stay away when someone gets mugged...can’t we see that together, we can make a difference?
Mo Money Mo Problem
Another issue that has remained in the limelight for the past few weeks is the Auditor-General’s report on government spending. I’m sure we’ve all seen the numbers, and I’m sure most of us are appalled at the ridiculous mismanagement of government’s funds by the various government bodies. The sad thing is I personally believe the A-G’s report only uncovered the tip of the iceberg.
At a time when we hear the Government lamenting the lack of funds to support our subsidies, we are faced with such astounding figures. Let’s not forget about the proposed government bail-out of the overspent Port Klang Free Zone. The cost? RM 4 Billion! Heck, forget about subsidies! With that amount, the government could double the police work force, increase funding for education, modernize public amenities, build roads...the list is endless. And they could do more if any further spending is done efficiently, with proper planning and a sense of responsibility. It’s never the government’s money; it’s ours, so please treat it well.
This brings us to the issue of accountability, or rather, the lack of it when it comes to government projects. Far from being a stooge for the opposition, i am still rather concerned at the way projects are being handed out and the selection process, if any, when it comes to awarding of such projects. It seems like the whole concept of open tender is foreign when it comes to our projects. While the reputation of big corporations cannot be denied, it still comes as a surprise whenever the government seems to already hand-pick these companies to spearhead their initiatives.
Open tender system allows for the government, as trustee’s to our money and the nation’s future, to sift through the various proposals and pick the company with the best combination of experience, efficiency and lowest price. By hand-picking companies for projects, they’re actually depriving you the opportunity to choose the most efficient contractor around. Yes, these corporations has the experience and the deep-pocket to manage such mega projects, but isn’t it ironic that the companies grew big BECAUSE of government’s projects? So what happens is that these mega corporations become bigger and bigger, swollen with a combination of cash and confirmed order books for years, making them more prone to wastage and inefficiency.
I’m starting a new job soon. A challenging one, but I’ll tell you more next time. Till then, go figure.
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