What’s happening?

As 31st August approaches, there are many disconcerting happenings in the country that make you sit up and take notice.

Let’s recap some of the recent headlines from our newspapers.

The Bukit Gantang Bus Crash Tragedy which claimed 20 lives and injured nine throws up more questions than answers.The bus driver had two warrants of arrest against him and 13 outstanding summonses.Yet,he was still driving buses.The bus had 19 summonses on it , it was still ferrying passengers.

Here at home, the State Forestry Director said that the logs seized by the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) found on 20 logging trucks in Keningau last week were legally felled from licensed logging areas.

The ACA insisted that during their operations the 5,000 logs seized were believed untaxed, and the 22 logging trucks seized did not have valid documents. Also, the trucks were found to be transporting above the permitted weight.

Another baffling story is about the Johore Crime King at the centre of allegations against the Inspector General of the Police (IGP); the Secret Society,Vice and Gaming Division of Bukit
Aman and the ACA cleared him; but, the Commercial Crimes Division banished him to Jeli, Kelantan under the Restricted Residence Act. And, the ACA wants to know why?

Recently, there have been many alleged cases of police shoddy investigations of criminal cases resulting in the acquittal of the alleged killers. Can the police alone to be blamed? Many in the legal fraternity hold the view that the A-G’s Chambers must also take the blame, for the decision to prosecute lies with them depending on the strength of evidence.

Why are things so gloomy?You would think after all these years the government agencies would have sorted things out among themselves.

The former IGP, Hanif Omar, writing in his Sunday column in the Star under the heading “The Fence That Eats The Rice”, sums it well when he writes that the police force and the ACA-two crucial institutions leading the fight against malpractises and corruption.Yet they are sadly disappointing in their inability to even clean up their own backyards.

“I briefed the Royal Commission that police corruption was so extensive that a very senior ACA officer had confided in me and another top retired police officer that 40% of the senior officers could be arrested without further investigations-strictly on the basis of their lifestyles.One state police chief had a net worth of RM 18 millions”, he writes.

What’s really happening?

To the Malaysian public this “fence that eats the rice” syndrome is very worrying to say the least.If we cannot trust people entrusted to look after our well being and security,who do we turn to?

What’s very apparent with all these examples is the lack of enforcement, indifference, ignorance and inefficiency of the parties responsible. The uncaring attitude and “what’s in there for me” mentality tend to dominate. We may have the best laws and the best policies in the world, if they are not enforced in a fair and just manner, or without fear or favour, we only have ourselves to blame.

Politicians must be serious in guiding this country on the right path for the sake of our future generations. This is the only country, we all call home. Talk is cheap, just walk the talk.

Get everybody to be committed to the cause of a fantastic Malaysia!

I rest my case.