COMMENT What crossed the mind of Nasrul Faiz Zulfahmi when he was assaulted by a group of men who are yet to be publicly identified?

Maybe the lorry driver was wondering why he was being beaten. Maybe he saw his life flash before his eyes and counted seconds to death. Or maybe he could not think of anything.

What was Nasrul thinking when he started his duties on that fateful day?

As a lorry driver, Nasrul knows full well that he needs to avoid accidents. He would also know that getting into a dispute with luxury car owners is the last thing he wants to do. That is, unless, he had spare cash for a bit of a thrill.

But that day he was reported to have accidentally reversed into a luxury car. And then he was badly beaten up. And now it is said that the luxury car owner is someone with a "title" - a member of the elite.

"Why are people so short-tempered today?" an aircraft maintenance personnel in Doha, Qatar, asked. He had chanced upon Nasrul's story through the news, online, and saw the CCTV recording of the assault.

It is the wrong question to ask.

People are not more short-tempered nowadays. The difference is, when it comes to the rule of law today, people now think they can get away with it.

The rule of law is a key factor for a country's success. Every rule must be enforced, regardless of the status of those who breach it.

Failure to enforce the law will mark the downfall of a nation. This is a downward spiral Malaysia does not want to fall into.

All who breach the law must face retribution, whoever they may be.

This is not a concept strange to Malaysia. "Rule of law" is the fourth principle in the Rukunegara. The fifth, incidentally, is "Good behaviour and Morality".

But lately, the rule of law in Malaysia is fodder for comedy. Smaller offences, for example, are penalised with unreasonably heavy sentences while graver offences - when committed by members of the elite - go unpunished.

It is as if the concept of right and wrong is malleable according to influence, cables, money and position in society.

The importance of status in Malaysian society has spiralled out of control. The Malaysia the elites experience are a stark contrast to the others who struggle.

Who are the ones struggling?

This month, lower-powered motorcycle (kapcai) riders have been labelled the enemies of clean air, the cause of traffic congestion and snatch thefts.

Last year, car parking fees in key areas of Kuala Lumpur were increased, as though the city centre would be paralysed if the likes of Kancil, MyVi and Proton Saga vehicles are allowed to flood the city streets.

Prices of daily necessities continue to slip out of reach, too, thanks to the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).

And at the same time, ministers zip around the capital city in their tinted luxury cars.

If we're especially lucky, we might get to take advantage of the situation by sneakily tailing the VIP cars when the police outriders temporarily part in the clogged sea of motorways.

If we're even luckier, we also get to squeeze into the more-than-cosy public transport with our fellow common people.

During school holidays, parents on a budget seek to treat their children in penny pinching ways by visiting the (as yet) still free national parks.

The occupants of the "other Malaysia", meanwhile, find respite abroad.

Some of these trips overseas may have been paid for with stacks of cash, as like that recently found in several homes.

Having millions of ringgit lying about in one's home is not a marker of corruption, these days.

After all, the country is very rich, with natural resources in such abundance that (some of) its people have riches strewn everywhere.

Where are the politicians who speak of defending the people's welfare, who do this usually on a stage with a microphone in hand?

They speak of defending the people, but seem much sooner to act on their own desires for electoral tickets and other self-interests.

As if political gains are not enough, they often turn themselves into clowns for some small gain, for example a government contract.

And we, the people, can only watch and seek comfort in uttering expletives in their honour.

Maybe the people are on the right side of history, but today, your value lies in your proximity to power.

What's right is trumped by influence and prestige. Justice and rule of law could be easily dissolved through a show of physical might and a few ringgit notes.

It is a dire situation, but it could be worse yet. That is, when the plebeians - the ones who are on the side of truth and constant defeat - rise up and give their own meaning to justice.

AL-ABROR MOHD YUSOF is a member of the Malaysiakini Team.