When I first heard of the tragic story of Yong Vui Kong and decided to help in the campaign to save him from the gallows three years ago, I honestly did not expect the legalistic Singapore authorities to concede, at least not in this particular case.

In November 2012, the Singapore parliament amended the law on the death penalty which would exempt some cases from the mandatory sentence. In terms of drug trafficking, the death penalty will not be applied to those caught carrying drug exceeding certain amounts. Calling it a landmark decision is an understatement considering that the Singapore government is known for its vigorous manner in cracking down on drug offences.

Two days ago, the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore announced that two drug traffickers on death row, ie. Subashkaran s/o Pragasam and Yong, would be allowed to make an application for resentencing. In light of the amended law, it is highly likely that the duo may eventually see their death penalty commuted to life sentence.

NONE Other than Yong’s family members in Sabah and in the island state, no-one is more delighted at the good news than M Ravi ( right ), a Singaporean human rights lawyer who has been fighting the case relentlessly for the past four years. Ravi’s dedication, persistence and professionalism are most commendable, althought his effort could have taken a longer time to come to fruition without the tremendous support of civil society in Singapore and Malaysia.

Yong came from an underprivileged background and ended up serving as a drug mule. I maintain my position that he represents nothing more than an unfortunate vessel in the vast, intricate and extremely lucrative networks of global drug trafficking, having been forced into the business due to the lack of education and poverty.

But Yong’s misfortune is only the tip of the iceberg. While he can now start to hope for a new life, albeit imprisoned still, there are many other Malaysian youths who could potentially find themselves in bad company for similar reasons.

According to available statistics , the unemployment rate for Malaysian youths aged between 15 and 24 stood at 11 percent, or 230,000 individuals. More alarmingly, it was 6.6 times higher than the adult unemployment rate and the problem remains as challenging today.

In East Malaysia where Yong is from, the situation is especially acute and young graduates are paid much more badly than their peers across the South China Sea.

Confronted with the biggest dilemma

From an ethnic perspective, the Indian Malaysian community is no doubt confronted with the biggest dilemma. Youth unemployment is significantly higher than is the case with other ethnic groups, and their plight is aggravated by the fact that the public sector is excessively dominated by the Malays while Chinese companies are least willing to recruit qualified non-Chinese Malaysians on various grounds.

azlan Incidentally, as much as 70 percent of poor Indian Malaysians are school dropouts.

It is also clear to all that, together with the Orang Asli, the Indians lack far behind other ethnic groups when it comes to economic achievement. While Umno may cite Ananda Krishnan and Tony Fernandes as poster boys, the home truth is that a large segment of the Indian community occupies the lowest-paid jobs in the country.

Worse, the mercilessly capitalist Malaysia has produced unscrupulous employers who, in cahoots with the authorities, show no qualms in exploiting others, leading to the influx of migrant workers.

It is already public knowledge that carparks in the urban areas are increasingly manned by Bangladeshis while Indonesians work in oil palm plantations. Even the open-air car-wash business has been relying on Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu rather than local Indians. When their last bastion is gone, there is no proper livelihood to speak of.

azlan Hence, are we surprised that 60 percent of serious crimes are commited by Indian Malaysians and gangsterism is almost a norm among them? The bleak picture quite resembles the vice-prone Chinese Malaysian community in the 1960s and 1970s.

I don’t think Umno has realised the severity of youth unemployment, far less the crime activities related to it. In unveiling the so-called Bumiputra Economic Empowerment Plan (BEEP), Najib Abdul Razak only proves himself to have been insincere in his 1Malaysia appeal, which has been pronounced dead.

As Hadi Awang has rightly responded, all the downtrodden and poverty-stricken communities should be assisted regardless of race for the sake of fairness and justice.

I am indeed heartened to see progress in Yong’s case, but the issue of impoverished youth in Malaysia will not go away until and unless the government begins to tackle it earnestly. Alas, Najib is more interested in running the party rather than the country.

JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.