11-year-old Muhammad Zulfahmi Zuraidi is this year’s recipient of the Hang Tuah medal for valour in recognition of his bravery in saving two siblings from a fire. The 53rd World Children’s Day was celebrated with some positive noises made on behalf of children here and here. Even New Straits Times came up with a feature story on latchkey kids in Malaysia here so maybe more people can focus attention on ways to improve child safety.
The point I am trying to make today is that just when the issue of child safety is getting media attention we are distracted by reports of street violence in Kuala Lumpur. I am a pacifist and staunchly apolitical. I do not support street violence because there is always an equal and opposite reaction to every action from either side. The real tragedy of yesterday’s events was the response given by Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin to Al-Jazeera’s reporter that was repeatedly broadcasted by RTM here. If that was crisis management by a Minister, this country is in real trouble. Najib had a more sedate response here.
What do we tell the children on how they should behave, how they should speak and how they should lead this nation? What examples are we giving to the children of this country? Datuk ZAM was a former journalist himself and the Editor-in-Chief of Utusan Malaysia for many years. He should have known better how to keep his cool. The reporter was merely doing her job. He wins my first “Space Cadet” award hands down.
[...] brought some alien virus back from outer space that turns men’s brain into pulp. My second Space Cadet award goes to Private investigator [...]