Sporting Safe Streets

The rise of snatch theft is appalling. Families of young children are being cheated out of their mothers when one by one the mothers fall prey to these heartless and useless members of society.

Chief of Police says what can they do when it is a mobile crime, just have to cooperate with the rakyat. I'll have to concede that point somewhat. It is really difficult to apprehend these thieving mosquitoes. Mosquitoes drawing blood from their victims, buzzing off as soon as they've got what they wanted.

The only targets they don't victimise are men, very simply because men don't carry handbags. So with the popularisation of the man-bag, fellas better watch out.

But we should really get to the root cause of why this crime of boredom and easy money albeit dangerous has become the crime of the day. Expecting the police to clean up the crime rate however, is precipitation of law and enforcement. Neglect of a solution.

I am guessing that boredom is a key factor in this crime. Let's not even go to the complicating depths of low self-esteem yet. Let's talk about things that everyone can comprehend.

Daily as we move around the urbanised towns and areas, it is increasingly clear that the only development that local governments are concerned about is construction of business parks and high-rise residentials and commercial buildings. Whatever green recreation area is deemed unimportant and of no impact to the well being of its populace. It seems that the authorities approving these developments do so in total oblivion on the impact high density has on the social behaviour. I guess the rakyat is in the same equation as intensive chicken farming.

Oh yea YB Ministers... the rakyat elected you to be our lawmakers because you pledge to have the rakyat's welfare in your heart and mind. Plus we also held hope that you would possess a little more intelligence and some wisdom to boot than the rest of us non-politicians.

The intelligence to recognise that problems need fixing with a progressively permanent solution and the wisdom to recognise that we should learn from others who have reduced or fixed the problem successfully. By recognising that the simplest solutions often have the widest efficacy instead of the all too familiar grandiose actions for the narrowest coverage.

I know for a fact that my friends in Hong Kong and Singapore suffer very low crime rates. It's so safe that even their 15 year old daughter can come home safely from a 1 hour journey in a taxi at midnight. A unfathomable risk in this country because a crime following that ride would certainly be headline news the next day. A plain example of how safe and secure the citizens there feel.

Visitng these 2 countries, I made 2 startling observations
1) recreation areas are plentiful so that youth can spend their growing energy in a constructive way. Playgrounds, playing fields and sports complexes abound in and around the city which you will note ironically have scarce land to spare. If the youth form "gangs"; they fight it out in sports. The way that breeds healthy competition and builds self-esteem. I loathe the proposal of the previous sports minister ~ spend billions of ringgit on building a sports complex in a foreign land for athletes who will probably not even attain the standard to use it because of the lack of competition development at grassroots level. The governments of HongKong and Singapore have long ago realised that mounting social pressure is bound to burst out somewhere, and always in the worst way ~ crimes of all sizes and schemes.

2) sports is compulsory in the school curriculum. No child can go through school life without actively engaging in extra curricular activities. From what I hear from my friends who are parents even PE or PJ as it is now known has been cut down to once a week, and even then lots of excuses to avoid conducting the period. Music and Art lessons virtually non-existent anymore. Where is the outlet then for creative and rambunctious energy? These subjects were included in school curriculum for good reason. The wise people of recent generations recognised that youth need to expend their growing energy, and the more healthy distractions they are given, the more they enjoy themselves and the less they will seek negative thrills. Malaysia seems to have lost that wisdom, thrown it out perhaps viewing it as a colonial heritage. How foolish if true. No one can change principles of nature no matter what your race, creed or colour is.

Can't we learn from their example instead of constantly seeking to reinvent to wheel of society? Why does our government constantly waste time in chasing around the bush? I suspect I know the answer, but if I were to write it here, I'd probably be hauled up on some trumped charge.

I view the police as goalkeepers, they stand and wait for the intruders to arrive at the doorstep. They are trained to quash infiltration, while the tactical game is played out on our streets. That's where all the forward training becomes reality. How tactical the players (lawmakers) are is the result we (rakyat) reap in the end. The lawmakers are the rakyat's means to a safe existence.

The Education Ministry always has a monumental task and it's appointed minister needs to be of powerful rank in the government hierarchy. For this I do credit our current Prime Minister for assigning this fundamental ministry to his Deputy. The Prime Minister's responsibility is to the current generation while the Deputy is tasked with the future generation. The quality of this ministry should be visionary because education is really a "futures" investment. It must always be helmed by someone who is recognised for his wisdom. I haven't yet firmed my opinion of our DPM/Education Minister, but with all the promises of the new Prime Minister and his reshuffled cabinet, I can only pray for long overdue wisdom for the good future of this country, my home.

O happy day that it was when the news carried this report
Monday May 11, 2009
Muhyiddin proposes a review of education curriculum

Finally, finally I am beginning to see some hope now that we have an Education Minister with the right clout who sees the wisdom in going back to basics.

Will we see the desired result?