Punish the boy because he broke the law. But when the prosecutor said the decision to prosecute national service dodger Ahmad Hafizal Ahmad Fauzi, 18 was not to punish him but to serve as deterrent to others, one begins to wonder about the true meaning of justice.
He was poor and his family was poor. His mother was a dishwasher who earned RM150 a month to support her three schooling children. Three years ago he dropped out of school after completing Form 2 to work as a labourer.
Yet his name was still in the Education Ministry's database and he was computer-selected last year to be enlisted in the national service programme.
When his case came up he asked for RM7 from his mother to attend the hearing. He was found guilty. In mitigation he said he earned RM30 a day as a labourer in the rice field and couldn't afford to attend the programme, as he needed the money to help his mother.
The court nevertheless slapped a RM600 penalty and spent a night in jail before his fine was paid. We can't help but feel sorry for this boy and his family. Where is justice we ask? He may be traumatised as a result of this. He may grow up to hate the system.
In Islam, judges temper judgement with compassion. Yes, they cut off your hand when you are found guilty of stealing. Yet they cut off your left hand first because they know you need your right hand to work. And when you are caught stealing again, they cut off your right hand. After that, the state takes care of your welfare.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read the prosecutor's comment on Ahmad Hafizal's case. The decision to prosecute him was not to punish him but to serve as a deterrent to others?
I felt the same when I read that the government's decision to raise the price of petrol and diesel was to stop misuse of the diesel subsidy by unscrupulous people. I am still searching for the logic behind those comments and justification.
And so my heart cries for the poor boy who was prosecuted and punished not to punish him but to 'serve as a deterrent to others'.
