The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Safe Malaysia through the ballot box Posted: 20 Feb 2013 04:49 PM PST FEB 21 — Three months before my first trip to Cape Town, I learnt that it was the most dangerous city in the world. Drug lords and the local community were sorting out differences with street shootouts. It does disconcert a person, but I went anyway and came home without incident. That did not, however, shield me from the knowledge that a friend of mine was mugged at gunpoint. Neither did it stop me from laughing that the friend gave his money but only after posing for a photo with the thief. My sister lives in Vétraz-Monthoux in France. Across the Swiss border and with a view of Mont Blanc. I honestly can't pronounce the town's name, and I am fairly sure my four-year-old niece will tease me relentlessly for not being able to, the next time she sees me. A quiet commune, the town council would have to import a socially ill-adjusted miscreant from Hulu Langat if they needed a riot. I'll fly Qatar Airways or Etihad. The two extremities notwithstanding, "Are we safe or not?" is the real question one wants answered in a crime debate. In Election 2013, Malaysians decide who will set the tone, policies and implementation to meet that objective. That those they pick can represent and defend the moral fortitude to — in Kipling's words — "keep your head when all about you are losing theirs." For that, voters have to ask themselves, today at a governance level, is crime fighting good enough today? I concede that is difficult to calculate. I am mindful of what was said to me before by a friend "How many dark empty alleys are safe at 3am?" when I told him I'll just walk from the club to his London flat. It is quite convenient to point at the failings of any system, primarily the police, in keeping its citizens safe. For the "dark alley" argument is applicable to any city in the world, and I've walked in enough of them during those hours. The commentary has to be fair, and our voters must proceed with their evaluation in that vein. Additionally, I'll posit my contention so that there is fair consideration of my bias. To me, crime is getting out of hand in Malaysia, and politics is a major impediment to an improvement in the matter. Voters have been asked by this column to weigh the direction of education in the country, how to keep our people alive and well, and means to livelihoods. Today, I want us to look at crime without being purely anecdotal. Because it is an election issue. Police and thief If police forces around the world are being compared as boxers, ours would be an overweight unprized fighter who thinks skipping was what he did to classes when he was in school. I've written about it, but here I want to pursue the incisive points. The crime index debate is long dead. It's beyond dead, it's waiting for a movie studio to buy the rights so a zombie flick can be produced. Except for a few executives in PEMANDU, no voter is remotely convinced. The policy of continuing to assert crime has gone down, because this crime index they've come up with says so, tells the voters that the police believe their opinion overrides all others. That you are safe, whether you like it or not, if the police say so is utterly ridiculous. With no respect to the Inspector-General of Police and home minister, I submit that that is not the definition of "safe", that is the definition of an Orwellian nightmare. If I were to assist the men in blue, the only way out of this quagmire is for the police to agree with the people. Agreeing is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength, but more importantly it is a sign of a start to deal with the reality. Plus it gives a genuine chance for the police to reconstitute processes, of how grievances are received and responded to. There are more people likely to appreciate those humbly fighting an impossible situation than those sticking their noses to the electorate This suggests also more community input to law enforcement. The best way for that to have bite is through the decentralisation of authority. Most funding has to go directly to what makes people really feel safe globally, committed patrols and dedicated investigations of criminal acts. Policemen are civil servants, but they are a unique sub-category. They may seek the affirmation of politicians and agree to the policies of politicians, but only as far as they are parallel to police charter they are sworn to protect. A bit of remembering is necessary, to those days in the training centre. Meanwhile in a separate and distant development, the home minister continues to refuse answering why there is so much funding for the surveillance of opposition politicians, perhaps his voters in Sembrong should ask him. It is a qualitative dilemma Crime prevention is the easiest thing to lie about. Line up enough men, pick a few, beat them up till they confess and rely on the fact the law does allow for coerced admissions, then some sorry sod will see jail time. When in a system, some people never go to jail whatever they do, and others cannot help but head to jail due to their social class, there is a rot in the soul of the system. And yes, in the country too. The issues of crime are multiple and connected: selective prosecution, convenient prosecutions, urban renewal, community programmes, mental healthcare, education, rehabilitation, childcare facilities, income suppression, housing, gender stereotyping, behaviour intervention, information technology and communal apathy. It is for that very reason, the slow erosion of law and order slips off all our radars until one day you don't want to walk to an empty parking lot at 10pm. That day, you know. So in simpleton speak, it begins with the people in charge of it to exhibit one true attribute, to lift it as their guiding light. That they must care. They must care that the higher ideals of protection are met without undermining the rights of any individual. It is damn hard, and it gets harder as society's become more heterogeneous. Malaysia took its feet off the pedal for decades and today everyone is feeling the tremor. No decision today or on polling day will reverse things immediately, or lift our sense of being safe to the stratosphere. These days are hard. We get to choose which direction the steps are taken, no more. The recovery plan is not hurt if the policemen respond to the rakyat before the politicians. In fact, that's a great start. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:42 PM PST FEB 21 — How many TVs in your house? How many mobile phones? How many shoes? How many shampoos, outfits, bags and accessories? How many cars, how many bikes? And then, how many hours spent playing with a gadget, how many meals eaten alone, how many hours of overtime and how much time spent worrying about expenses versus salary? Marketing and new product development has long evolved from solving basic problems to focusing on more intangible, smaller wants and emotional rewards through products. Take a watch, for example. Is it sold on its ability to sell the time anymore? Or is it about looks, ability to help you look like a man of substance or a connoisseur? Is one enough? Are bags about how much they store or about how they help your mood? Is one enough? Or shoes, how many colours, for working out or working, for hiking or partying? Is one enough? Not so long ago, a newly-employed adult was told to plan for the long term. For marriage, children, education and retirement. Work hard now, save as much as you can, stay clear of debt and never waste food. The current generation of young working adults don't earn enough to move out of their parents' house, their car downpayments are paid and income topped up for expenses by their parents. But is their money being spent wisely? How many credit cards do they have, how often are their mobile phones changed for the latest models, how many meals eaten in expensive restaurants, how many sales attended? Indulgences come in every size, every price point today. From a pampering spa experience to a mini break in Phuket, from a Vincci shoe to a Birkin bag, the exhortation to spend is everywhere, accessible to everybody. In the age of instant gratification and last chance sales, it is hard to focus on long-term goals of savings and insurance. In a gym, it is about crafting the body for maximum effect for the next night out clubbing rather than prolonging life. Ditto for diets. Consequently as they approach their thirties and the age of responsibility, large numbers of them are realising that they are not equipped for the austerity and sacrifices family life with their own children demands. Growing up in a consumerist culture of me first, making marriages work is increasingly hard, taking care of ageing parents too troublesome, doing the chores without the help of a maid simply impossible. Waiting for an inheritance is not a financial plan. Nor is hoping for massive raises and bonuses two years into a career to help pay for personal loans, credit card debt, car and housing loans. Upgrading your skills at work is, as is matching expenses with income and saving for the future. The larger issue here might be one of education and parenting. It is naïve to expect the choices out there to evaporate or objects of desire to magically disappear, but is fairly easy to demonstrate at a much younger age the consequences of living beyond your means. It is not in the interests of the marketplace to tell us that, but unequivocally in the interests of the long-term future of our children. Leading by example, not caving in to every demand made by our children as soon as it is made and laying greater emphasis on values rather than keeping up with the neighbours may sound old fashioned, but still remain the best tools to prevent their future bankruptcies, divorces and eventually dissatisfied and unhappy lives. Teach them well, for their own sake. And because nobody else will. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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