The short, happy life of Aminulrasyid

...The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he or she has the right to remain silent, and that anything the person says will be used against that person in court; the person must be clearly informed that he or she has the right to consult with an attorney and to have that attorney present during questioning, and that, if he or she is indigent, an attorney will be provided at no cost to represent her or him.
- Miranda Rights, USA

I write with sadness of the young man Aminulrasyid (left) shot to death in perhaps a complex situation he was caught in. His life was cut short, may his soul be blessed, but there is a larger issue of rights and responsibilities we adults are plagued with, needing reflection and resolution.


"Any mans' death diminishes me, for I am involved in Mankind" as the poet John Donne said; what more that the death of a child barely 15 and yet to explore the ways of the world?


Indeed accounts of the rude and untimely passing of Aminurasyid indicated that he was caught in a series of unfortunate circumstances, most of them beyond his control and the ability for a child his age to handle.


Sneaking out late at night, on his way to a watch a football game, and a good Samaritan he is in helping a friend with a flat tire, and the incident with another car and the fallen biker, and ultimately the round of ammunition that riddled him in the back of his head like a hard-core criminal - all these are poignantly narrated in a growing number of blogs and on facebook. His friend who supposedly pulled out of the car to surrender, I watched his mother in anguish flanked by a politician on youtube , clearing the air of any misconception of what kind of child Aminulrasyid was.


What is ailing our nation? Where can we seek protection henceforth? As taxpayers and citizens who have surrendered our Natural rights to the state, where do we seek help when those entrusted with the tools and machinery to protect have betrayed us?


In the case of Aminulrasyid, this is not just a question of human rights education lacking in the police, but also perhaps failure to adhere to standard procedures in dealing with a possible suspect.

Lack of proper patrolling
 

A larger issue is the lack of proper patrolling of the neighbourhood; as a consequence of a weak or non-existent local government such that Mat Rempits run rampant. Had our local governments been strong and a deep sense of community action culture evolved, and that the police together with the citizens of the local government been more efficient in ensuring vigilance, we may never see Mat Rempits harassing the innocent and under-age children riding motorbikes and automobiles illegally. Ironically we see the highest level of efficiency and deployment of the police force displayed when there are political rallies; even when they are conducted peacefully.


Why do we not see consistency in neighbourhood watch?


Kids are kids -- they try everything for thrills but it is the system that ought to have been built that would deal with juvenile differently than how we deal with adults. Aren't the law enforcers supposed to be well-trained to look at the situation and to exercise the best form of restrain based on sound and wise rather than trigger-happy judgment? Have we not given our police officers proper training in criminal law?


I supposed we have deteriorated a long time ago in this area of enforcement. Police brutality is a trained behaviour, profiling as well. Miranda rights (rights to remain silent when arrested, etc.) such as in the United States may not be available in the case of Malaysians? Must we continue to see suspects being shot at first and asked questions later? Have we not forgotten Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock, and others who have been brutalized before their tragic death?

Solace in hope
 

In a country like Malaysia in which her citizens are getting weary about personal safety, in a land where crime rates are rising and one hears cases of police brutality and deaths in police custody all too often now, we often seek solace in hope - that things are going to get better perhaps with a better government that truly cares about the rakyat and upholds the rule of law.


I believe schools should start teaching kids about rights and about street law - and also about not giving or taking bribes. This might be a long haul; longer than it took the apartheid regime of South Africa to imprison Nelson Mandela (left).


Aminulrashid is no longer with us. Some may argue that he should not have sneaked out to do whatever it was he wanted to do. But kids are kids. We all were there once. We wanted the freedom and to do certain things we wanted to do so much - like joining friends to watch our favourite football team, or to test run the new X-Box or Playstation, to check out facebook pages, or to just chill, harmlessly. We all have tried that and up with through the experiences when we were fifteen or sixteen.


But for Aminulrasyid, that was it. A short and happy life of a child turning fifteen. May his soul be blessed. Let us all pray for him - and for our nation.