Malaysia's crime watch is yet again stained by the tragic passing of JAIP's Ahmad Rafli Abdul Malek. From a nation that reads about shooting fatalities in other parts of the world, we have become somewhat accustomed to a drastic change of mindset. Malaysians are now being subjected to violent crimes as constant as the daily weather update. While we're less affected by typhoons and superstorms, every Malaysian on the street is now an unwilling participant in an invisible game of Russian roulette. It doesn't matter if one is in the comfort of his house or being driven to grab breakfast or finding solace in a temple or merely waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Once you're chosen, your last living memory could probably be staring at the wrong end of the gun. Not everyone will be lucky.
Nevertheless, I'm gravely disturbed by calls for religious enforcement officers to be equipped with guns. While the late Ahmad Rafli may have lost his life, his death should not be the key to unlock Pandora's box. Without disrespecting anyone, a gun is not simply a toy one buys from Toys 'R' Us or to be distributed around like candies during Halloween. A gun is made of steel, as cold as the heart of one who decides to kill. Religious enforcement officers are mortals, susceptible to lapses in judgment and reason just as we all are. And how exactly will these religious enforcement officers be trained to shoot? I doubt the guns are purely for ornamental purposes. Even with our properly trained cops (let's give them the benefit of doubt, shall we?), we have come to accept that guns (and since we're at it, even patrol cars) can mysteriously vanish in many ways. It's only a matter of flipping the coin between the sewerage system or the sea, unless of course, we're entertained by another absurd reason in due time. Add on a high number of security guards running around with fake MyKads (and as we've read recently, some will go to murderous extent to ensure the money remains with them), we'll have our own version of the Hunger Games! Only one good thing can come out of this - me being spared from forking out a good RM15 just to watch Jennifer Lawrence being hunted down.
But seriously, what will the next reaction be? Ordinary Malaysians marching and chanting 'We want guns! We want guns! We want guns!'? If that becomes a reality, we might as well call in Clint Eastwood and turn this country into a sprawling shooting site for 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly'. No pun intended, by the way. It's amazing to consider that while Great Uncle Sam is grappling to tighten their citizens' access to firearms following episodes of indiscriminate shootings, we're possibly heading towards the other end.
A knee-jerk reaction without a clear mind is the last thing we should do in this instance. Look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves how the shooters got their hands on these weapons. If they were smuggled into the country, were our officers sleeping on the job? If they were, shouldn't they be transferred elsewhere or demoted? If the weapons were originally reported as missing or lost, shouldn't the officer in charge be held responsible? If the weapons were registered to private individuals, shouldn't the owner be tracked down and dragged to Court? If a Minister or even the country's top cop gives a mind-boggling answer as to where the weapons might end up, shouldn't they be accountable too?
We need to gun those questions right before more arms are released on the streets. I'm not an English football fan but I'll prefer watching the Gunners in action than worrying over who will be gunned down next.
*My thoughts and condolences to Ahmad Rafli's family on their loss. Al-Fatihah.
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