Friday 11 June 2010

一路向北 - 序

虽然只是槟岛,却是意义非凡的旅程。

感触,是因为我们很久很久都没这么人齐。

这次一定会尽兴。

主办和响应“一路向北”的大家,谢了!

希望明天大家一路顺风!炒粿条,我们来了!

Thursday 3 June 2010

Woman dies in fire as BHP staff refuse to loan fire extinguisher

We all know that public security is gone case in most part of the country. Read the papers. News about decrease in crime rates garner more attention than it going upwards.

But.

This event which happened around 3am today will serve as a reminder to everyone how sick we all are.

Woman dies in fire as BHP staff refuse to loan fire extinguisher
3 Jun, 2010
News source: KomunitiKini

When a Perodua Myvi caught fire this morning on Jalan Cheras, bystander Teo Chai Yong rushed to a nearby BHP petrol station for help. He little expected that his request for a fire extinguisher would be refused by the two BHP staff on duty and as his pleas fell on deaf ears, the Myvi’s female driver died as the car burned.

The Myvi in question was severely damaged in an accident involving a lorry and a Toyota Vios. According to Teo, he heard the Myvi’s female driver call for help while at the same time, a fire around the engine area was spreading. The accident occured at around 3.30 am, near the Cheras velodrome according to Bernama.

While making calls to the fire department and police, Teo made his way to the petrol station. His requests were denied, the staff claiming that the management did not allow the loan of fire extinguishers to the public.

“I was willing to leave my IC with the staff as a guarantee, but they refused,” said Teo.

Angered at the staff’s refusal to cooperate, he started yelling at the staff and said that if the victim died, they would be the murderers.

In retaliation, the staff instead threatened to report Teo to management as well as the police.

When it was clear he would not get any aid, he returned to the accident site.

By the time he returned, the fire had consumed the car along with its driver.

What saddens Teo is that he claims police at the scene said that the driver’s life could have likely been saved if a fire extinguisher had arrived in time.

According to a representative from the fire department, the accident claimed one life in total with two others in critical condition while another person, the lorry driver, was stable. The name of the deceased has yet to be confirmed at press time.

BHP government relations manager Abdul Kaiyum when contacted claimed that the BHP attendants refused to open the door for Teo as he was not ‘acting calmly’ when asking for assistance. Neither did they refer to their supervisor because it was past midnight.

In defence of the staff in charge, he said that the two of them previously had been attacked and beaten up by assailants while on duty at the station. Abdul Kaiyum said that BHP would hold a press conference over the matter this coming Monday, June 7.

***

While this case is being investigated and, hopefully, presented to the public, questions that swirled in my head are:

1. Why do big brands draw negativity so easily?
2. Is it human nature to wish for the fall of successful brands/ personalities/ organizations/ countries?
3. Why is it easier to incite hate, than love?
4. What it takes to educate the masses in detaching individual faults from a brand/ organizations/ countries?
5. What it takes to educate the masses about the belief of innocent until proven guilty?
6. Is it even humanly possible to rectify this envious, selfish and paranoid world?

To me, this is a big sad story about how we have failed each other.

Sigh. Depressing thoughts are no good for hectic work week. Perhaps a few days later I will forget about it and go back to my happy self.