A powerful force called death
By Brian Yap (The Malaysian Insider)
JULY 24 — For all the hype about the cultural and political impact of social networking technologies like Facebook and Twitter, the age-old phenomenon of death remains the most powerful, galvanising force.
After all, despite the fawning the world has recently expressed over Michael Jackson, the truth remains that he was widely derided both personally and musically until the day he died. Then quicker than one of Jackson's signature dance moves, the world went from ridicule to remembering him as the genius he once was. His death was enough to make him the first artist to sell a million digital downloads in a week and, more amazingly, got Malaysians rushing to music shops to buy original CDs.
In Iran, an ordinary 27-year-old citizen decided to join thousands of her fellow Iranians by participating in the historical demonstrations against the suspicious election results. She was just one of many who were killed in the protests, but as fate would have it, Neda Agha-Soltan's death at the hands of cowardly snipers from afar was recorded and disseminated for the world to see. From a previously apolitical young woman, she became the rallying cry of Iranians still hoping for some form of change in their country and a symbol of bravery in the face of tyranny.
Much has been said about Teoh Beng Hock. I have little insight to offer beyond what others have already remarked. My own personal acquaintance with him was brief and coincidental. I had just started working for the Selangor government and first met him several weeks before his untimely death, and he was friendly enough to sit down and join me for lunch once when I was eating alone, despite my terrible Mandarin. This was just a few days before he was called up as a "witness" by the MACC.
The collective outrage of sane Malaysians is understandable. The response of the rest — some Umno members and the party's partners in the media — is, while disturbing, also rather predictable. Power and the thirst for it can make one lose any form of moral compass.
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