WHEN THE WRONG, RULES

I need to write this even though I wasn't there to witness the accident first hand. I am compelled to relate this as my inner emotions are seething with angst, fired up by the indifference attitude of our society. A society that is losing its humanity as we get immersed in deep social chaos.

The story goes....

An ambulance is traveling through the busy town of Kuantan to transfer a cancer patient, a makcik, to the government hospital. She was strapped down on a stretcher, accompanied by a nurse.The driver was busy negotiating the haphazard traffic, with the siren blaring away. Upon reaching one of the biggest traffic-light junction in Kuantan, the ambulance had to snake through in between 'understanding' vehicles which were paving a path for it. The light was red but the ambulance was moving upfront steadily as the cars on the moving green lane, stopped to make way for it to pass through. Halfway through the cross-section, the nurse saw through the side mirror, a car, speeding through, disregarding the voluntary traffic halt that was made for the ambulance and she knew that it was going to hit them. Fast-thinking, she embraced the makcik's body with great force to prevent her from jolting over, as she anticipated the impact of the crash. True enough, the 'thoughtless' driver had rammed into the side of the ambulance exactly where the patient was! Fortunately the nurse's fast action had saved the poor makcik who suffered only minor shock. The nurse herself, through her actions, had sustained abrasions in her arms.

As the ambulance driver began to recover his composure, he stepped out to examine the wreck. As he confronted the careless driver who was a young malay guy, he was in for a bigger shock. When asked why didn't he stop to make way, his brazen answer was,"Lampu hijau, saya jalan lah!" Realizing that he was facing someone with an attitude, the driver decided not to waste time and drive the patient to the hospital. A straightforward accident with many witnesses is apparently turning into a twisted bizarre tale of false defense by a reckless driver.

At the police station, after reporting the truth of the accident, the ambulance driver was in for another surprise. The arrogant young driver was given special treatment where he was invited to do his 'business' in a special room and they appeared 'chummy'. In his report, he defended his offense by alleging that the ambulance driver did not sound the siren! In actual fact, there were many witnesses that can attest the contrary.

The ambulance driver left out an important fact in his report: that the rash driver's initial statement was "lampu hijau, saya jalanlah" and not because the siren wasn't on. When he returned to amend it, the police told him that altering a report was not allowed. But it wasn't 24 hours yet! Can anyone clarify the issue here?

Due to the bleak situation and probable litigation, the driver was transferred to another department.Isn't it sad? How can we call ourselves civil when outright misappropriation of power rule our society? That we have allowed rowdy and bold youngsters grow amongst us is something shameful and so unbecoming. It reflects how weak and fragile the 'system' is.

Perhaps the perpetrator of the accident and the authority shielding him should ask themselves this crucial question: "What if the sick person in the ambulance was a relative of theirs? or better still. "What if they were the sick patient in the ambulance, themselves?"

Eid Mubarak to everyone and Maaf Zahir Batin! Fi amanillah! Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Walillahil hamd!

Banjir di Jalan ke Pekan, Ahad lalu. Laluan Kuantan -Pekan terputus. Airnya merah, efek bakau. Kelihatan Petronas Gas menghulur bantuan.