Decency and Agency, and Responsibility

A child is like a piece of white sheet -- he is an innocent canvas on which the adults will paint the strokes -- good or bad -- which determine the outcome of the child growing into adulthood. To be, or not to be, a decent or indecent lad/lad'. That's the tough Q, which even Shakespeare would have trouble answering in the matter of bringing up his children.

That's the broad picture I've painted, more or less the central message-lah. THAT IS ONE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT. Often encountered in philosophers' thoughts and writes since the Civilistion of the human race, quite uuniversal thinking whether Eastern, Western or In-Between.

We are all born sinners, according to the Christian faith as Desi knows it.
A central plank of Christianity, the left plank being that Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that Man can be redeemed, through acceptance of Christ being his saviour. The right plank is the more controversial one -- that only those who believe the foeregoing stated two planks shall receive salvation, by the Grace of God, and be accorded a place in Heaven. THAT IS ANOTHER SCHOOL OF THOUGHT.

I won't go into Other Schools of Thought because it is not a Blogger's domain, quite beyond him. That's for peole like Socrates, Buddha, Muhammad, Lao Tze and Confucius .... Feel free to add on, even Dreamer Idiot?

I stand corrected, of course, in the foregoing writing0-summary. As Desi has indicated, he was brought up in a Christian environment from age about 9-10, and found himself quite embedded with the Ethics of Christian Living. Engaged in journalism for some three decades, he's weathered all sorts of religious doctrines, so he nowadays deems himself a Christian watered down/ diluted/ abused ... (pick one, as I'm definitely a practising Freeman.) by "democratic, liberal, socialist" traditions.

I'm leaving out the dreamer part, that's like seeking a Fool's Paradise on the Hollywood Trail. In on other spheres, I don't wish to elaborate as I believe one's Faith is a wholly personal concord between him as a moral individual and his GOD, however he deems HIM to be. (So well expressed by Max Ehrmann in Desiderata.)

So what has all these schools of thoght to do with the subject of DECENCY?
A lot.
It governs all aspects of a human being's daily life.
It presumes Man to be having a sens of right and wroong, hence possesion of that trait called CONSCIENCE. An Inner Voice that helps one to tell Right from Wrong.

But What, or Who, is the Agency to determine that moral code or act of Decency?

Yesterday's case of a young coupled charged with "Indecent Behaviour" in public under Local Government by-laws is an important case whose outcome would impact on Malaysians' daily life. I had commended then students Ooi Kean Thong, 24, and Siow Ai Wei, 22, for defending themselves against the charge levelled against them, now sent back to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Court.

Desiderata's concern is that in such areas of public human actvities and social interaction, the Local Council is defintely NOT THE PROPER AUTHOURITY OR AGENCY to take on the role of upkeeping and promoting society's moral guardianship. I remember first there was the infamous Mat Skodeng squad initiated by Malacca CM as 4B Movement chief Mohd Ali Rustam, followed a few years later by a band of over-zealous Religious department team from Putrajaya (nigh to Prime Ministe's Office, how startospheircally edifying!:) trying to play the same role. Moral guardians with torchlights on a voyeauristic adventure, likely.
If humble Desi and many of my ER, I'm sure, would also ask: What qualifications do these enforcement agents hold in themselves that thy can take on such high moral tasks?

Let's hear IT from the Bar Council, which gave a well raesoned statement as reported in today's press. From The Star, page 8, to wit:

Define indecency, says Bar


PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council wants the authorities to come up with a clear definition of indecency following the Federal Court’s decision to uphold the local authorities’ power to enact bylaws to curb indecent behaviour.

Bar Council chairman Yeo Yang Poh said indecency should be well-defined if there is to be legislation over it.

“It is not that there should be no legislation at all, but the question is, who should legislate? Such laws (if they are necessary) should be federal in nature and not be left to the local authorities,” he said.

“And if there is to be legislation, shouldn’t the law be very clear on how you define indecency?”

On Tuesday, the Federal Court ruled that KL City Hall was right in charging two university students who were allegedly hugging and kissing at the KLCC Park under Section 8(1) of the Park bylaws (Federal Territory).

However, the Federal Court also ruled that it would be up to the magistrate hearing the case to decide if hugging and kissing constitute indecent behaviour.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Prof Dr Chiam Heng Keng said the local government should be very specific on the definition of indecency before enforcing bylaws to curb such behaviour.

“Different people have different definitions of indecent behaviour. Is a farewell hug or a peck on the cheek considered indecent?” she asked.

She said it would lead to abuse of power if enforcement officers carried out the law with their own interpretations.

DESIDERATA:

I am in complete agreement with the Bar Council's stand. Suhakam's Chiam's too.
We hope and pray that Malaysian judges have the vision
and farsightedness as their brethren at the Council and at Suhakam.

Let's leave the Municipal Councils in the desert -- that's where most of them belong anyway. Maybe also on the Nile, watching belly-dancers. Citizen Nades of theSun can give thee a litany of reasons.

Yes, RESPONSIBILITY. A big duty that each and everyone of us Malaysain citizens carry on our individual shoulders.
Young&Articulate Ones, behave yourself in public.

Perhaps the adage: When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do, may help.
When in Malaysia, don't do as the Brits in England do while "parking"
(Liberal use (abuse?) of Queen's English -- "having a walk in the park", KenOrKnot?

Adults, as parents and guardians, must also be responsible too. Like shopwing leadership by example?
Let's leave some monkeys (mankeys?) at that RUMAHSAKITsikitPARLIMEN alone... Howsy would second that, won't you? to mGf based in lundun,
where they kiss openly 24/7 because they believe in
Make Love, Not War!

I have high hopes yet for the Bench. To wits2:

From The Star, page 16:

Judge withdraws from hearing land rights case

PUTRAJAYA: Federal Court judge Justice Richard Malanjun has recused himself
from hearing the application for leave to appeal by the Selangor Government
and three others against the decision that the land acquired for the Elite
Highway was customary and ancestral land occupied by the Temuan tribe for generations.

Justice Malanjun said that, on July 8 last year, while sitting in the
Court of Appeal, he had decided in another case involving native customary
rights over a piece of land in Sarawak.

In the appeal by the Superintendent of Lands and Survey, Bintulu,
against Nor Anak Nyawai, Justice Malanjun who sat with Justices Hashim
Mohd Yusoff and Tengku Baharuiddin Shah Tengku Mahmud, had ruled
in favour of Nor.

"I am uncomfortable hearing this matter as you (the counsel)
would be submitting to a person who has made up his mind, literary.
This (recusal) is to be fair to all parties," he said.
(The emphasis is Desi's)

:
:

Desiderata would recall for the benefit of ER the contrasting scenario
going at least half a decade back when certain businessmen and their
lawyers could visit certain Judges in their chambers on so-called
"social calls" when they had outstanding court cases before the
various parties. Contrast with a Chief Justice
(? need to double check this...) going on holiday
with a wellknown tycoon's counsel (plus their wives, own of course!).
Coincidence... with pictures taken for the family albums.

RESPONSIBILITY. IR-responsibility. Contrast the above scenarios.

And some quarters have been, and some are praising sky-high the previous Adminstration, before the dawning of the current Administration of Wise Man Pak Lah.
Howsy, let's put the record straight.
The present Prime Minister is a decent, God-Fearing man.
Let's give him 100% support,as the Nation's CEO.

But as for UMNO and the crocs surrounding the Wise Man,
let's leave it to the Almighty.
I:
S:
A: men.

mGf All: Will thee say a prayer for YL tonight,
that I know what is Decency and Responsibility...