Even Tun Daim cannot be protected
The recent episode of thieves running away with Tun Daim's shoes will pose a major challenge to our well meaning Deputy PM.
The DPM recently urged Malaysians to change their perception about our crime rate in the country. But how do the rakyat respond when they read that even Tun Daim's highly protected domain with guard dogs to boot, is no deterrent to thieves and robbers?
The working class citizens have long suffered living under the shadow of rampant and imminent crime in the country. But the authorities keep telling you that statistically we have improved by leaps and bounds.
Yet not only are the helpless rakyat living in fear but even VVIPs are not spared the horror of robberies.
Even high-ranking police personnel are not spared. Now we learn that even fierce dogs are no match to the daring thieves.
Look around the country dear leaders of Malaysia. How do the rakyat live these days?
Our homes are completed caged in iron grills, pad locks, alarm systems, CC TVs and even dogs to beef up. The wealthy hire guards. In fact Tamans that sell these days are the 'guarded and gated' properties that most Malaysians find beyond their means.
Now with such crime incidents how on earth are the citizens to change their perception and instead get to feel safe?
Do we not realize that our nation is fast gaining a reputation for its lack of safety for its very own citizens? And how ridiculous it is to live in complete fear even within the confines of our very own homes.
To fear the alleys and streets, busy walkways, well lit car parks and toilets at popular shopping malls may be understandable. But to barricade our homes like detention centers and spend huge budgets annually just to protect our homes is just far too ridiculous.
It is high time that the authorities took inventory of the reality. Let the loss of Tun Daim's shoes be the turning point for a paradigm shift among the authorities given the expired state of security within our sovereign nation.
Hopefully, we will see concrete effective efforts taken to protect the citizens. Otherwise, we might as well demand easy access to arms sale.
After all if the law cannot protect the man in the street, would it not make sense for the man in the street to become the law himself?
And where is the justice? While the poor rakyat cannot feel safe owing to lack of financial affordability, even the affluent who have the trappings of a round-the-clock human and animal guards plus technology are increasingly becoming victims of break-ins in Malaysia.
And with the current economic slowdown and lack of lucrative jobs for locals and migrant labor, one shudders to preempt the sharp rise in crime in the country.
J. D. Lovrenciear, Semenyih
