Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
KUALA LUMPUR: Lack of civic consciousness and sense of responsibility has resulted in some members of society to act rashly without thinking of the safety of others.
Malaysia Crime-Prevention Foundation senior vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said while Malaysia was striving to achieve developed-nation status, the morals, ethics and conduct of the members of its society should be in tandem with the nation’s development.
“What is worrying today is that we have forgotten the basics, namely education, noble values and mutual respect.
“A lot has been achieved by the country currently, especially in science and technology, however, moral values and good character are still lacking in society,” he told Bernama when contacted today.
Lee was asked to comment on the incident two days ago where S. Sathiwaran, 15, lost his life after an office chair fell on him, believed to have been thrown down from an upper floor of apartment block 102, Seri Pantai People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Pantai Dalam, here.
Although there have been many cases of throwing down of rubbish and flower pots from high-rise blocks of public housing areas, causing injuries and even death, the public has still not learned lessons from these incidents.
Regretting the fate that had befallen the teenager (Sathiwaran), Lee said such incidents could be avoided if high-rise apartment dwellers had a responsible attitude and did not take the safety issue lightly as this could endanger the lives of others.
To prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents, the social activist said residents’ associations should play a role by involving in programmes and activities to educate the community towards having noble values and a responsible attitude.
He said education in schools and the family institution also needed to be enhanced by raising civic consciousness, especially among the young.
PPR Kg Limau Residents Association (RA) secretary, Rosli Atan shared Lee’s views on the role that residents’ associations should play in educating the public on safety aspects.
He said the housing area’s RA organised such educational programmes five to six times a year with the cooperation of non-governmental organisations and security forces such as the police and Fire and Rescue Department.
Meanwhile, when met after appearing as a guest on Bernama News Channel’s Nine 11 programme, Lee who also touched on the issue, called on the local authorities to be more aggressive in enforcing the law including over safety at the PPR.
Lee also voiced concern over the increase in juvenile cases by 9.4 per cent to 8,740 in 2017 from 7,985 cases in 2016.
In this regard, he said the family institution needed to be strengthened in moulding the young to have good character, integrity and morals.
“There is no excuse for parents not to spend some time with their children. It is definitely a challenge for today’s parents to do this, but at least spend 15 to 20 minutes of quality time each day with their children to enquire about their problems and concerns. They must show interest in their own children’s needs and thoughts,” he said. – Bernama