Much has been said about the tragic death of innocent Nurin. Like many other Malaysians I too shed tears of anger and sadness over the incident and was overcome with emotion when watching the funeral last week.
Now there has been talk that Nurin’s parents may be charged with negligence over what has happened. Let me first admit that I was just as outraged when the news first broke over a month ago. It irked me that parents living not in some god forsaken town but rather right here in Kuala Lumpur could be as naïve as that – to allow a little girl venture out of the house alone, at night. I too had initially pointed my finger and frankly felt the parents were partly to be blamed.
Yes, our journey in life is fated but God tells us to use the intelligence he gave us. Religion teaches us that du’a alone is never going to cut it – no matter what the situation.
But after all that, the brutal truth is Nurin never made it home. Are her parents at fault? Perhaps. Should they have been less trusting of their world? Definitely. Should the authorities charge them for their lack of responsibility? Absolutely not.
No sane parent would want anything even remotely tragic to befall their children. Nurin’s parents were probably naïve, too trusting, and lived in a world that they felt were familiar and safe. Sure, the Child Protection Act may state that because Nurin’s parents contributed to her death, the authorities have every right to take action against them. But what purpose will that serve? Any parent of sound mind will never ever allow their kids to go out alone at nights anymore after the heart wrenching death of Nurin Jazlin. That fear is what will leave the impact on other parents. The gruesome image of little Nurin is what will stop parents from being too trusting or too naive after this. Not the possibility of being charged for negligence in the court of law.
If they are to be charged, what lies in store for their other daughters at home? Will the authorities make the effort to provide counseling or some form of psychological support for the children? I doubt it.
Nurin’s parents were guilty of only one thing – of believing that a habitual routine in a familiar environment was alright. It is terribly unfortunate that they had to learn what many of us have long believed. That the fact is it is not a safe world anymore out there, certainly not in KL. Not for anyone..and certainly not for a small child. Now who’s to be blamed for that sad reality?
3 comments:
Lily, i dont't blame the parents at all. In their environment - wangsa maju flat, two bedrooms, most of the time the kids prefer to be outside and they move in and out of their flats freely. I witness this with my own eyes and I understand why this happens.I think everyone has to play their part - parents, teachers, community, enforcement agencies, the fact that the Nurin incident has occured shows that all of us has failed in our responsibility and we need to look how we can ensure we don't let this happen again..well that's my thots..
I know. It;s just that when itw as first reported my initial recation was how in the world can any parnet allow their kids out alone..!!?! I can appreciate their living conditions Zue, but the sad truth is even with those contraints, I still feel these kids cannot be going out all on their own. But I gues, it's easier for me to pass judgments than living the life itself...
Sis, just yesterday I saw two kids, a girl abt 5 and a little boy about 3, were left alone in the car with the windows open at the pasar borong Ramadhan. Parents were no where in sight. I thought perhaps their parents were those selling at nearby stalls, but none of those people there were paying attention to the two kids. The little boy was standing outside the car leaning back against the car door, looking gloomy or probably not feeling well. His sister was climbing in and out of the car window onto the roof and later ran off on her own into the busy crowd. Honestly, I would think after the Nurin incident, parents would be more responsible than that!
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