Don’t Get Too Dependent on the Authorities

Two events in recent days show that many people still think that the government can find the best solutions for all our problems.

The first incident involved the unfortunate mother and her two children who were killed by an express train while crossing the railway tracks.
This incident would not have occurred if the person had been on foot, as she would have given herself more time to cross the tracks. When the bike stalled, she must have tried to restart the bike rather than abandon it and escape with her children.

KTM has fenced up the area but the villagers are angry and prefer to dice with death daily. I think the DPM is correct in that people need to be made more aware of the dangers of approaching trains.

If the traffic across the tracks is significant, the authorities should consider an overhead bridge that would cost about RM100000 for light traffic.

The second incident involved the death of the NS trainee who was killed by a fellow trainee over a trivial matter like a cigarette or changing the TV channel. Very little information has been provided about the assailant but looking at the reactions of the NS authorities in confiscating handphones, it would seem that the assailant is of a different race from the victim.

Given that our youths have been leading quite separate lives for many years during their formative young years, it is expected that NS can be a cauldron for racial problems to crystallize.

It is unfortunate if the assailant is charged for murder unless the deed was premeditated. I have always had misgivings about the NS scheme as my opinion is that it just comes too late to undo the damage.

Schemes to foster better racial harmony should start much earlier. They should begin in primary schools, increase in secondary schools with uniformed groups and end with a shorter NS scheme of perhaps 30 days for ALL youths and not just 10% “lucky draw”.

It is impossible for trainees to be supervised 24/7 and a possible solution would be for the youths in each block to select a leader plus 2 assistants who will lead the group and try and resolve minor problems. All the three persons should be of different race to avoid misunderstandings. They will hold the posts for one week each.

For example if a fight occurs, one person will immediately inform the trainer on call while the other two will try and stop the fight.

Those who complete such leadership roles will get these endorsed in their NS certificates.