Slashed to death…another Indian youth perish

I write this in the wee hours of May the 13th.2008.What has kept me awake today.It is this youth called Samy, aged 24.

Yes, I and our team from PSM and CDC have just returned home from his home, where his body lay in a coffin. His mother who is a single mum slept beside his body. Samy or Govindasamy was slashed last night near Bandar Rinching. His friends brought his blood soaked body to the hospital but he died on the way. The burial permit says cause of death, Massive blood loss due to 16 slash wounds to the forearm. His brother claim that there were more slash wounds in his head and other parts of the body. In religion, one will say that his sole is liberated from his body. But his death keeps me awake tonight. I don’t feel liberated at all.

A few houses from his house, another family stay vigil. Two of their sons have been arrested. One aged 26 and another 24. One has been put in the lock-up whereby another youth has been admitted to the Kajang Hospital with slash wound right in the middle of his head. The mother has refused to eat since then. I went to console them but soon there is going to be witch hunt. Many youths will be picked up.

I first came to know Samy when we held a meeting in flat house in Taman Bukit Semenyih. We met these young youths as our potential election helpers. But I was shocked after the first meeting. Most of these youths do not have jobs or do not have proper jobs. They claim that they are being discriminated and most bosses treat them badly and they don’t have patience with these bosses. They all want to work but say it is very hard to find jobs. They end up doing all sorts of things, including crime activities as long, as it brings them some cash.

When you do have a discussion with them, it is interesting to note that they talk about justice, equality and many other things. During the last election, a number of these youths helped us with posters and banners. They did not ask any money. On our end, we were pondering, how do we help these youths. We were just saying the other day, that we have to hold another discussion with these youths and today we find, we will one person short.

Who do we blame for his death? His lifestyle, his parents for not taking care of him, his ethnicity or his bad luck. Ask MIC and they will blame it on the Tamil movies. Who shall we blame it now?

Bharati, the great Tamil poet once said, “ if there is even one person in hunger, I blame the entire society for his sufferings. Today the death of Samy poses a similar question to me. His death is the failure in our society and we stand guilty……….

Arul
2.40am, 13 May 2008