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.

WOULD YOU ACT, EAT OR SLEEP ON IT??

What do you do when problems fall on your laps like an unstoppable avalanche? Have you a special mechanism to tackle them without causing a cascade of depressive symptoms besiege your mortal wellbeing? I am sure everyone has a personal psychological shield to prevent themselves from falling too deep into a chasm of 'blues'. Some would resort to sleep over the matter, so to speak, which I think is the commonest way chosen by many, though I feel that is the lamest, if not most cowardly, solution. Some hide behind 'comfort' foods to make their problems go away. Some would just feign a denying 'front' that disregards any predicaments and continue with their mundane activities with no qualms. Perhaps, too , there are those who are born experts at delegating their problems to others, pushing half , if not all, of their burden to the poor shoulders of unfortunate souls.

I am a born worry wort, as my mother is. It must be my mom's Chinese genes. I worry over the slightest issue that involves my life and family. I have this inherent character that holds firmly onto a motto that pressures me to analyze a problem, think of possible solutions and act them out ASAP. Worse still, I have this great urge of wanting to see the solutions materialize over night and this can be equally daunting! In fact, I can feel the adrenaline surge in me when I start worrying about things. Most exasperating is when your significant other falls in the 'cool' type that prefers to sweep the matter under the rug, only to uncover it when the issue gets out of hand. Sleeping over the matter is just not my style of untying a knot in my life-line. I might binge if there's good food around but I would think hard of getting out of the desperation, all the same.

Over the years, as I age, I have learned to accept problems in a way that's kinder to my nerves. I know now that these problems are actually tests from God to try my patience and make me stronger. Today, whatever problems that befall me, I'd still react by scrutinizing them but I am calmer, in the sense that I know everything is in God's will and I must accept the outcome with inner peace. At times, when a predicament seems so huge and burdening to my soul, my initial response would still be to sort them out ASAP but I have learned to take a step back, looking at the matter in a broader perspective and tell myself, "this will pass, too". I have also adopted the mantra: If you can't change something, then it's no longer your problem. Just let it go.

Most importantly is to accompany all efforts in battling a problem with fervent prayers to Allah swt. Dua is the unseen weapon belonging to all Muslims. I am grateful each time a friend reminds me to invoke Allah's help whenever I am in dire strait. An effort that is accompanied by diligent prayers to Allah swt is definitely better than those without.

(Somebody went for a 3 days 2 night holiday in Penang and left me at home. A definite influence from Pycno). Gambar ini adalah simbolik kepada penentangan penjajah ala Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau etc. Tiada kena mengena dengan 'tuntutan' baru-baru ini. :))