AUG 24 — It was reported in The Sun newspaper yesterday that “Malaysian victims and families of those who lost their lives in the express bus crash at Genting Highlands on Wednesday will receive financial assistance from the government.”

If this statement by the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Rahim is correct, then one wonders why the aid is restricted only to Malaysians and not extended to non-Malaysian victims as well?

So you go to the hospital and seek out the Malaysians while ignoring the non-Malaysians who may be in the next bed?

The tragedy happened on Malaysian soil, the bus was Malaysian, the driver was Malaysian, the authorities responsible for the safety of public transport users in Malaysia are Malaysian, and Malaysians have sympathy only for Malaysians and not for non-Malaysians who were on the same bus! What a tragedy upon the first tragedy!

What is the rationale for Malaysia feeling that it has no obligation to assist non-Malaysian victims of the accident? It cannot be money, as at RM1,000 for the family of each deceased, and RM500 for each victim, the total would not even come to RM50,000.

If family members of the deceased have to travel to Malaysia to identify and claim the bodies of their relations, or to be with their injured family members(s), they are put to unnecessary expense besides the untold grief that they have to suffer. So do they not deserve any assistance from the country where the tragedy took place?  

Malaysia should be ashamed that tragedies such as this which are preventable are still happening. Some quarters would say it was “takdir” or something destined to happen as it was pre-planned by God. This is a clever and innovative way of hiding behind God. Let’s stop blaming and defaming God for he has given mankind brains to think, reason, plan, etc to take care of himself. He cannot be held liable for our own mistakes, inefficiencies, corruption, etc that allow such tragedies to happen. 

The bus driver, it appears from reports, was very angry and impatient with a car driver. Anger and impatience are destructive forces. They are something that human beings can be taught to control. When do you teach them this?

Visit the schools and see how much anger and impatience is exhibited by the children, both in primary and secondary schools. If children are not trained to control these emotions, but on the contrary allowed to repeat and internalise these negative behaviours, then what do you expect of them in adulthood?

The widespread “uncivilised” behaviour that we see in society mirrors similar behaviour in the schools, for it is a continuation of child misbehaviour in the schools. Such behaviour is not “takdir” but our own making due to our failure to correct such behaviour at the time it can be done best, i.e. in childhood. Schools have got to start doing this as they used to do in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It will not eliminate all behaviour related problems, but minimise them so that we can have a society like the one of those good old days.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.