His conclusion was that the system betrayed the boy in that case. My equivalent rhetorical question is: "Who murdered 12-year old Diviyasri? (right)" And, for that matter, the two other girls who were also victims in the recent Kampar bridge collapse.
I can only try to empathise with the family, especially the father whose hurt and anger is clearly evident. Apparently, he literally chased the classmates who came to the house because, as he said, "the school only wants to kill them all."
Criminal lawyers talk about first and second degree murder. First degree murder is when there is premeditated intention; and second degree murder or manslaughter is the act of murder committed without the intent to kill.
Ignoring value of human life
Personally I am getting sick and tired of "our public service immorality" in this country. Too often and too easily, human life and loss is treated rather frivolously. The basic mental attitude appears to be: it is only one life, and unfortunately it could not have been avoided.
Others call it an act of God; I beg to disagree. It is not just one life; it is one God-gifted life. It could have been any of our children! Would any of us say the same when it involves our family members? Lest any of us forget, we are all members of the human race.
Any single death from such human negligence is destruction by God-unintended means. Therefore, it falls on us to become responsible agents and actors to review why there was such a moral failure of compliance to the rules of human decency in the forms and standards of our conduct.
Agency involves taking full and personal political responsibility to fulfil all that we know to be good, true, and honest. It is being responsible agents of our primary responsibility of citizenship. To me, the most basic of these is the choice to register and vote.
If a citizen is not registered to vote, he or she is being irresponsible. Participate in all matters political without needing to join political parties. Hold all those parties both accountable and responsible.
Mike Harmon's Action Theory also argues that all human actors must "assume full and total moral responsibility for all human agencies; including non-action." That is to be personally and morally accountable and responsible to take "every initiative to put right what is not right, in any circumstance."
Our moral barometers
At the very least, we need to consider issues such as the PKFZ scandal with our consciences. Let us not restrict our actions to big issues of money but equally smaller issues of human frailty such as who extinguished Diviyasri's destiny?
Her death, in my book, costs far more than PKFZ. Money can always be earned and corruption always reduced; but Divya's life can never be restored. Her family's hurt can never be justified.
How can you call her death an act of God?
So, who murdered the 12-year old daughter of each of us in so-called 1Malaysia? I am sorry to say that if we were really a 1Malaysia, this would never have happened.
If we are a 1Malaysia, there would only be 1standard of construction for public amenities and the agency responsible would never have approved a sub-standard construction.
It is this systemic negligence that Mike Harmon alludes to in his writing. Even some of my own friends are apologists, and far too often. But, I refuse to accept it. My pet "Theory R" argues that all public agents must and can seek to do what is right, good and true; according to the standards of their defined professionalism.
The knowledge of such truth requires each of us to choose to intentionally comply with our standard of known truth. That is the only possible option for responsible action; all others, including the plea to ignorance, are irresponsible behaviours within Theory R.
All human agencies are imperfect and therefore do not meet standards of truth. Only God is perfect. Nevertheless, human beings can seek to intentionally design and construct material and non-material structures that meet some standards of compliance.
When standards are not complied with, other forms of equally responsible action must be taken to correct mistakes of oversight, regardless of the kind or quality of the excuse. To fail to do so is simple irresponsibility.
So, who killed her?
Who killed the little girl on this 1Malaysia excursion? The Ministry of Education authorities must ensure that none of them was negligent. Were there not ISO rules on how to cross the bridge? Was there not some order in how the children 'should have' crossed the bridge?
Why should a 1Malaysia expedition of this nature be organised without adequate safeguards? Or, was it a simply 'a creative accounting way' to spend public funds and to give the post-UPSR kids a fun time, at the expense of public taxpayers?
Second, the JKR or the Public Works Department must conduct a post-mortem review of not only the suspension bridge and her construction, design and technical features, but also the "entire procurement process for the design and construction of this one-month old bridge."
The full report must be made totally public so that everyone concerned will know who actually murdered this 11-year-old girl in the name of 1Malaysia.
Finally, I am sorry to keep picking on the chief secretary, but his super task force must unearth this notion of "SYMP" (from my previous column) as the lame justification for all things gone wrong!
Please do not keep passing the buck anymore. Please nail those who are being immoral and irresponsible. Give the story of public accountability and responsibility a new ending. It is no point even, putting culprits in 'cold storage' in the JPA when everyone knows they are being punished.
Please take public action so that secretary-generals are never again charged with explicit corruption just because senior PTD Officers do not know how to read "cash-flow statements!" Why were they promoted and kept for so long anyway? I speak as a retired PTD officer.
The PKFZ fiasco is only one small and visible part of the corruption and decadence of governance within the public services of Malaysia. It is but the tip of a huge iceberg, as evidenced by the recent PAC Report.
There are literally thousands of small cases of everyday failures, due to the disregard of established procurement processes. Mr chief secretary, the buck must stop with you and your new committee. Please do what is good and true and right today.
Readers: may God bless you and your families. Be grateful for your loved ones, for still having your daughters with you. But, that is not true for the families of N Dina Deve, M Davadharshini and V Diviyasri. Not for Kugan's nor Beng Hock's or even for Nurin Jazlin's family.
May God help us to find the solace in justice.
Enough is enough!
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