A number of things have been happening in the course of the last week or so that has raised some very fundamental questions. The death of A Kugan, 22, for one. There are so many questions, moral questions, political questions and there are just plain questions.
1. The first and fundamental question of ‘Is any killing acceptable?’
2. Who has the right to kill?
3. Are some killings ‘more okay’ than others?
4. Is a killing by the police different than a criminal's killing?
5. Is it okay to kill on the hint of lawbreaking?
6. Why do some people take such a defensive view of Kugan's killing?
7. Why do others higher up back them up?
8. Why is it so difficult to hold the police responsible for this killing?
It was so easy to charge some 60 over poor Indians on Nov 25 for the non-bailable offence of murder for no other reason than being at Batu Caves on that day.
9. Why are the majority of the leading Malaysian public figures keeping quiet on this outrageous murder?
10. Why are only Hindraf, Indian leaders in the opposition and some conscientious bloggers taking serious offence with this murder?.
11 Is this really a Malaysian issue or is it only an Indian issue? People say it is a Malaysian issue but behave as if it is an Indian issue.
All these questions produce a very strong stench of something terribly wrong with processes in our society – a stinking stench. I don't know if you all can get it, but I get it and it is very strong and it is very unbearable on top of everything else that is going on.
Like so many other issues, will this issue also meet the same fate of a lot of noise and very little or no action? I feel very angry and bitter as this is a very likely outcome. And this is absolutely not right.
If there are right-thinking people (I mean just people, not Malay, Chinese or Indian, just people) then I think it is time that these people speak up and make this episode to be the trigger to completely stop all police killings in the country.
If it is a truly Malaysian issue then all the Pakatan Rakyat members of Parliament - not just the Indian MPs - should raise the issue in parliament and push for the implementation of the IPCMC.
I do not even attempt to call on the BN members to do the same because that is utterly useless. If I am to be wrong on this count, then let us see some of them support the motion if the PR members bring it up in parliament.
But even before any of that I have this doubt. Can Pakatan Rakyat or should I say will the Pakatan Rakyat coalition take this up as an issue and really do something or will they calculate the political benefits before they act?
Will they just give a few statements to the press in the heat of the moment to appear supportive and then nothing more? This will be their behaviour if it is interpreted by them as only an Indian issue rather than a national issue.
We will all wait and see.