Don't be too quick on the draw

Focus Malaysia

24-04-2025

I GREW up watching cowboy movies (Westerns) in the 1950s and 1960s. The most dramatic scenes of these films would be 'showdowns at high noon' when gunslingers confront each other for a duel and the one slower to draw his gun or miss would drop dead.
I go through about 20 news websites several times a day and read reports and opinions I find useful or interesting. Instead of responding by making short comments, I prefer to write a full length opinion piece to adequately explain and share my perspectives.
Over the years, I have grown wiser and would not be too quick on the draw. This is because reports on the same incident could vary according to reporters' understanding, or the speaker could later claim to be misquoted, or the report incomplete, or events are still unfolding.
Recently, there was a Bernama report about a woman who was charged in court on April 21. The heading for one of the reports read 'Mum of 6-month-old child jailed 3 months for stealing bread, eggs, groceries'. I was immediately riled up.
Like other readers, I too have come across many previous reports of relatively heavy sentences meted out for petty crimes, such as stealing foods from supermarkets, while those who have unlawfully taken large sums of money in white-collar crimes received lighter sentences.
As such, it was no surprise that former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim criticised the three-month prison sentence calling it another 'ridiculous punishment' and asked: 'How do we train our magistrates?', as reported in 'Zaid slams 'ridiculous' 3-month jail term for mum who stole food'.
But it was not another case of a young mother stealing food to feed her baby. The 38-year-old woman had a haul of 30 items, which included personal care products, bread, eggs, biscuits, soy milk, tissues and toothpaste, worth a total of RM374.69.
Hopefully, she will learn from the jail sentence and turn over a new leaf. The public should not treat thefts, including shoplifting, lightly. Those who start off with petty theft will continue stealing and graduating to more and more expensive items until they are finally caught.
In any case, everyone deserves a second chance, including the 38-year-old woman, more so she has a 6-month-old child. Mercifully, her husband has just found a job after the family had moved from Sarawak to Kuala Lumpur.
Sadly, our society's safety nets are inadequate, as individuals and families ought to be protected from the negative effects of unemployment, poverty and other economic hardships.
Safety nets must be in place to provide a basic level of support to help people navigate difficult times. – April 24, 2025
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Reuters