Malaysians must know that kicking someone when he is down is an act of cowardice.
And if you do that to a defenceless person who does not fight back because of the circumstances he is in, it’s a shameless act that cannot be tolerated.
The incident in Kuala Lumpur, where a man believed to be homeless was abused outside the AmBank branch in Taman Maluri, brought the worst out in two Malaysians.
One was a female security guard who was seen hosing the man down, while the other, whom the bank said was a cobbler, was seen not only spraying water on him but also kicking him a few times.
Obviously, the two Malaysians, who are being condemned on social media, were not aware someone was filming the incident. As usual, social media was ablaze with comments from netizens.
But for a change, Malaysians showed that they can move away from racial and religious traps and display a true sense of humanity when it matters, if comments on social media are anything to go by.
No one asked about the racial or religious background of the victim. Instead, most focused on lambasting the two individuals.
Unlike views on political stories that see a distinct demarcation between two groups taking sides and never failing to bring in race and religion in their arguments, it was a welcome relief this time.
If you look at the comments, it was humanity in motion, nearly all questioning the actions of the two individuals and their sanity in resorting to this barbaric act. One even said the bank officials and the security guard, who happens to be female, should have offered the man some food first as he was looking lost and hungry.
In a country where many inquire about the race of a victim when they see an accident, the social media comments on the attack on the homeless man showed that Malaysians are capable of transcending race and religion when it comes to acts of inhumanity.
The reactions showed that most Malaysians have a heart when it comes to standing up against injustice, throwing ethnicity aside to speak up even against their own kind if they are guilty of inhumane acts.
A large number of those who made those comments also took the bank to task for distancing itself with an apology and implying that the security company hired the heartless security guard, absolving itself from any blame.
The bank missed a great opportunity to show its humanitarian nature by coming to the aid of the poor man. Like what FMT columnist Frankie D’ Cruz wrote, an apology is not justice done.
AmBank needs to do more to prevent such an undignified act near its entrance by a security guard supplied by a firm that it appointed. Malaysians were waiting to see what else it could offer to show it cared.
On a brighter note, it was a good samaritan named Tony Lian who traced the man after the video went viral. He managed to find him in Taman Maluri after a search and has housed him since in one of the two small shelters that he operates for the poor.
Lian, who runs Food4U, an NGO that feeds the homeless and poor every week, said he was horrified when he saw the clip.
This action made me feel guilty of the many times that I had merely walked past homeless men lying in five-foot ways, most of them in an unpleasant state. Never once have I tried to stop to help them or find out what has driven them to that state.
I believe, and I have seen, most Malaysians too just walk past and ignore them. Ignorance, to most, is bliss while others judge these unfortunate souls.
Calling out the security guard and the cobbler for their acts may help bring justice but we should also work with Lian and others who are helping the poor and needy on a daily basis.
Nobody in their right mind would want to sleep on five-foot ways if they had a home to go to. They need help, especially from the government, to bring back their dignity. Let’s not judge them.
Many families are now unable to afford stable homes due to the growing cost of housing, stagnant income, and unemployment. Some are trapped in loan and hire purchase debts that lead them to homelessness.
If anything, the ugly episode that’s got federal attention underscores the need for the authorities, NGOs and all citizens to tackle the problems involving housing security in Malaysia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
