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 that 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"...