12 TELLING IT AS IT IS theSun | FRIDAY AUGUST 21 2009

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I OFTEN get a little disheartened by the to have shifted from a high-profile national

Bringing the nation

statements made by our politicians, police
and other functionaries. It’s rare that I get so
angry that I shake.
But when the pain and safety of young girls
who claim to have been raped multiple times
can’t be investigated because the police force
can’t raise RM4,000 to pay for translations,
rapes that have been reported repeatedly for
over 15 years, rapes where the victims are
mainly minors, I can’t help it.
I tremble with anger and fear, fear for
what our country has become, where we
can glibly spout slogans, talk about caring
Malaysia and our moral superiority to the
decadent industrialised nations, yet not take
seriously the pain of a 12-year-old, unless she
falls into the right racial, religious, geographic
and linguistic categories.
This from a government where a cabinet
minister can say that a million ringgit is noth-
ing, where chief ministers think it a reason-
able matter to accumulate fortunes that allow
them to spend multiple millions on property
(whether five or 25), and where the profits
made by Sarawakian logging companies al-
low timber tycoons to admit to giving RM10
million donations to individual politicians.
The total budget that has been allo-
cated for the investigation into these rapes
is RM100,000, which, according to reports,
police say will only cover their own costs. It
may seem a lot, but that comes to less than
RM7,000 per year since the child rapes were
first reported. The IGP says this would only
cover the costs of police personnel. Given that
the police are paid to investigate crime (rath-
er, say, than violate rights) this, presumably,
is related to travel and paperwork. Travel, of
course, is a significant cost in Sarawak. But
with RM100,000, a lot of personnel could be
transported into the remote interior, and pro-
vided for over a prolonged period of time.
And this isn’t just a local problem. Ma-
laysia made promises during the Universal
Periodic Review of Malaysia by the Human
Rights Council of the United Nations that
this issue was being investigated. During the
into disrepute
review process, the police took the
unusual step of engaging in con-
sultation with NGOs to formulate
a joint investigation. The UPR is
now over, and the police have
found an insurmountable obstacle
– RM3,600 – to continuing the joint
investigation. It’s worth quoting
in full what was promised at the
UPR:
“An inter-agency committee has
been established at the national Freespace
level to investigate the report of
alleged sexual harassment and by Sonia Randhawa
abuse of Penan women in Sarawak
by logging company workers. The Committee
is chaired by Minister of Women, Family and
Community Development and the members
include representatives from Education
letters@thesundaily.com
Ministry, Home Affairs Ministry, Health
Ministry, Rural and Regional Development
Ministry, Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Ministry, Sarawak State Government, Royal
Malaysian Police and women NGOs. Based
on the expected findings put forward by the
police as well as SUHAKAM regarding the
alleged abuse of Penan women, the Commit-
tee will formulate intervention programmes
and provide counselling services to help the
Penan women. This includes an awareness
raising campaign to the Penan society, par-
ticularly women, so that they would be able
Life in
the river
Seine
pg 21
committee to the Sarawak police force. NGO
representatives are being increasingly side-
lined and their concerns for the security and
safety being ignored. According to the report
in an online paper, Sarawakian NGOs are
having problems just getting responses to
their concerns.
It’s easy to look at this as an issue and
forget that what is at stake are young girls.
It starts with a 12-year-old girl, who claimed
she was raped by loggers. That girl is now
27. She received no counselling, there was no
investigation. If her claims are true, her rap-
ists are still at large. Her life may well have
been shaped by the fear that rape has instilled
to recognise and address issues of in her, if not, her struggle to normalcy may be
sexual harassment and abuse.” just another heroic, everyday tale of survival.
I can’t help speculate whether But whichever, we, as a society, failed that
the two are related, the efficiency 12-year-old child. And we continue to fail the
and enthusiasm of investigating needs of the children in these remote com-
the allegations when there is an munities. These children are irreplaceable,
international spotlight on the is- are invaluable.
sue, compared to the lacklustre We need to find the funds, the commit-
response since. ment and, most of all, the humanity, to stop
This lacklustre response isn’t these abuses, and to protect all our children,
confined to the inability to find a regardless of race, religion, geography or
paltry sum of money for transla- language.
tion. In contrast to the promise
above, the responsibility for
responding to the issue seems Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
letter
Don’t neglect rural students
EDUCATION is essential in order to get dents living in the rural areas. They need
out of poverty to change and make a to be exposed to all kinds of information,
better life. especially IT. The Education Ministry needs
People who stay either in the urban to provide more facilities like computers
or rural areas need good facilities. I hope and ensure students have access to such
that the Education Ministry pays serious facilities. Some of the rural schools that
attention to the rural areas. Basic facilities are lacking in appropriate facilities should
are often insufficient, thus affecting the be improved.
students’ motivation to attend school. More hostel facilities and financial as-
As someone who has lived and studied sistance like scholarships will be required
in a rural area, I really worry about the to ensure all problems to education are
facilities provided. I do not want the removed. Motivation and counselling may
same thing to happen to the younger also be necessary to ensure the students
generation. Limited facility was provided and their families are fully aware of the
during my time and it was difficult for us downside of dropping out of school.
to study. Please bear in mind that the rural stu-
The Education Ministry should provide dents also have the right to get a quality
better facilities to the students there to education. The Education Ministry also
provide equal opportunity in the educa- ought to ensure qualified teachers are
tion field. being sent to the rural areas. Teachers
Free tuition classes are necessary and who have experience and expertise in
it is precious help, especially to the low several subjects should be sent.
income families. The families who are Last but not least, I really hope that our
unable to spend money on tuition fees government will give rural area students
are really those who are in need of the the opportunities to change their lives,
free tuition. improve their knowledge and thus be
Students have the opportunity to ask quality citizens in the future. With the first
as many questions as they want during class facilities provided, students in the
tuition. At the same time, they can also rural areas may become future leaders
do revisions on the subject during the of our county.
tuition classes.
The Education Ministry should provide Akmariela Ahmad Sayuti
a comfortable learning ambience to stu- Shah Alam, Selangor

A great educator, humanitarian

AN icon in the Malaysian teaching pro-
fession was lost with the passing away
of Brother Lawrence Spitiz. A legendary
missionary, Lawrence was a doyen in
the teaching profession, well-known to
many including Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Razak, prominent doctors, lawyers,
engineers and civil servants.
It was therefore befitting that Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his
Teacher’s Day message described
teachers in the country like Lawrence
as the unsung heroes. I am glad that the
Prime Minister had paid tribute to the
distinguished members of the teaching
profession for their contributions.
I was proud to have served under
Lawrence for many years during his
tenure as the Brother Director of St
John’s Institution. Here was a man and
a dedicated educationist who had toiled
selflessly for the benefit of hundreds, or
perhaps, thousands of Malaysians who
today are holding prominent positions in
the country.
Lawrence was the hallmark of a great
educator who did so much for so many.
I’m sure they count themselves as being
among the fortunate ones, whose life and
careers have been moulded by this great
educator. This well-known Canadian,
who life was entwined with the teaching
profession, began his teaching career at
the age of 19 at St Joseph’s Institute in
Singapore in 1938, and served at other
distinguished mission schools in then
Malaya such as St Xavier’s Institution in
Penang and La Salle Petaling Jaya, before
retiring from St John’s Institution.
Even when the Japanese landed in
Malaya, Lawrence was still teaching in
country. He was subsequently sent to
Pudu Prison and later as a prisoner of war
at Changi Prison in Singapore.
Even at the ripe old age of the 80s,
Lawrence was still teaching in the remote
areas of Sabah. Teaching was in every
drop of his blood, and you could never
separate the man from his profession.
Such was the personification of a man
who was the epitome of the teaching
profession. Gratitude goes to the Little
Sisters of the Poor for taking good care
of this great humanitarian in his old age.
May his soul rest in peace.
James Gonzales
Kuala Lumpur