The sticky notes were handed out. People began to write on them. I watched my wife write her note. I was sad because I had nothing to write about Teoh Beng Hock and 1,805 persons who died in custody – males, females, young, old, citizens, others – in Malaysia from 2003 to 2009.
My sceptical mind took over. How were the numbers arrived at. Can I trust the information providers?. What are their sources? Are the numbers confirmed? Have there been denials by the Home Ministry? How is it that I, a literate Malaysian living in Kuala Lumpur have been unaware of such a large number of custodial deaths – averaging three every four days? [I grilled the presenters privately at the end of the session and I believe they presented the truth.]
I now have two very sticky thoughts.
1. Less than 70 of the 1,805 dead persons have been named; the others are nameless.
Something I read in my teens awoke in my mind. This is often how an African child receives it’s name: the father thoughtfully selects the name; then he takes the child out under the stars and whispers the name into the child’s ears.
Parents worldwide have dreams for their children, parents search for and hurt for their children.
The 1,805 persons who died in custody also had siblings and friends. Parents, siblings and friends of at least 1,735 persons who died in custody may not know their loved ones are dead!
2. The custodial death of Teoh Beng Hock, has upset me more than the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi and the death of Mother Teresa.
I knew Diana because of her glamour, her royalty and her support for causes like banning land-mines and accepting AIDS sufferers as humans with dignity. Beloved of the media and counterpoint to the sternness of her husband’s family, she appeared on magazine covers, did interviews, had a (Muslim) boyfriend. She was a media magnet with fans across the world.
In the wake of the accident in Paris, I couldn’t help wondering whether Dodi’s dad was right in speculating that the accident which killed his son and the Princess was staged. I do not know what the pre-accident Dodi-dad relationship was like. But, based on Mr Fayed’s relentlessness in seeking a better explanation for his son’s death, I think the father greatly loved the son. Though I do wonder how much he is doing about “possibly staged accidents” of other children.
As for Mother Teresa, I admired her because she was a poor, single Polish woman who dedicated her life to the poorest and least-wanted in one of the most dangerous cities in India. She was not fashion-savvy, was not physically attractive and was unafraid of bold speech. What a woman! Mother Teresa not only enabled so many to die in dignity, she also saved and nurtured thousands of children through her ministries. She was known internationally.
Beng Hock was not even a national figure; so why has Beng Hock’s death affected me more?
Like the 1,805 persons who died in custody, Beng Hock was a son, a father-to-be and friend to many. But Beng Hock’s death in custody – is also a sign, a portent.
The police say: we may do this to you too if you are detained. Be afraid, “co-operate.”
The government says: we will not stop this. We will not set up an Independent Police Commission . We are Caesar; bow down and let us do what we please in whatever we choose.
Our inner voice says: choose whom you will follow; your conscience or your comfort.
The Teoh Beng Hock session was followed by an appreciation of Yasmin Ahmad. I came away with this thought: a vision of a better Malaysia has already been described by her; listen and watch until you become infected. Become a person. Care about persons. Challenge wrongs.
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
