Today marks the first death anniversary of my mum who passed away from cancer.

Whilst we can appreciate the difficulty for anyone to actually express in words just how much a loss of a mum (or dad) affects a person, we can all agree that they are definitely constantly missed.

I for one can say that when a parent is taken away from you suddenly, due to health complications like cancer in my mum’s case, it is a very disturbing experience because nothing can be done. You feel completely helpless.

It would not be too far-fetched to say that the unlawful detention of a parent by authorities can also be very traumatic experience for their children.

The children of all the wrongly imprisoned or detained are definitely feeling helpless to a certain extent. While it is different from dealing with health issues, then again dealing with irrational or evil parties that are void of conscience or sympathy, can be just as bad.

You may wonder how can the authorities simply take away someone’s parent just because they have different views. That definitely does not justify any action on the part of the authorities to take away someone.

While I could not question anyone for my mum’s loss, the children of a parent who have been wrongly imprisoned or detained, definitely can do so.

The children of Saudara Anwar Ibrahim and Maria Chin Abdullah, for example, are doing just that. Having different political ideologies or questioning blatant wrongdoings by the authorities, is no reason to take them away from their children.

It would seem that the authorities are doing everything under the pretence of keeping law and order, just to stay in power. In that process, certain individuals who are someone’s parent, are being detained unlawfully.

The Malaysian authorities seem to have lost all sense of compassion.

Just like the cancer that took my mum away, there is no rationalising with the authorities that are taking people away. Their evil tactics know no boundaries.

We hope that all the wrongly imprisoned or detained are in good health and that their children stay strong and continue to fight.

In the meantime, we also have to pray that perhaps, just perhaps, the Malaysian authorities grow a conscience and start having some sympathy for the children of the wrongly imprisoned or detained.

In loving memory of my beautiful mum.

PUTHAN PERUMAL is an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.