Questa è Enida

What’s new about this kinda news?
I wish I could be more sensitive about it. But I have been desensitized. Not just every year, almost every day. Some make it to the media. The rest, I see for myself on the road. Not many parents love their children enough. Yeah yeah, they do. They haul the kids around wherever they go to keep them at hand. But they don’t mind killing their kids – with one simple but fatal thought – that their vehicles are the SAFEST place.

How safe of a driver are you? There’s always you…in relation to others. Bila kita drive dengan penuh hemat, others think we’re slow and stupid. When we tunjuk belang sekali-sekala, orang lain berbalas dendam dengan penuh ‘skills’ some more! Lu ingat lu sorang bawak Rexton ka? Here! Watch my Kelisa go! Nah kau! (The sticker on the back says: My other car is Murano.) Attitude thing. Tapi tu bab lain.

Bab children tak pakai seat belt ni.
I wonder if parents don’t feel a little tiny bit of worry or care or guilt, or whatever you name the feeling. Or do adults buckle up just to avoid kena saman? Pehh! Another attitude problem. What’s the law here by the way? I know in Oman, nobody cares about what you do with your children. Kids rule there. (For the love of children!) In Canada, every rider – be it drivers or passengers, kecik besor tua muda – MUST buckle up, end of story. Children under-age are under the care of the dah-tentu-lah-above-age drivers. For the love of innocent children. But how is it here, ah?

Most times, I try not to ‘mendoakan yang tak baik’ when I see kids terlompat-lompat, terhoyong-hayang in the back seat of the cars in front of me. I have seen so many kids sitting in between the two front seats reaching, grabbing at whatever, monkeying around. But I can’t help but imagining the obvious!

We always tell sob stories AFTER these obvious tragedies. Oh the victims tak sempat nak beli baju Raya lah, oh there were signs that the victims knew they were dying lah, they were so happy or so quiet, so not the usual selves lah. Boo hoo. But what the media never really wants to say is, the victims could have been saved or would have not been thrown out through the windshield if they had fastened their seat belts. Is it out of respect for the victims or their families? But of course. No rubbing salt in to the wound is necessary.

Hence, we don’t learn from (what is actually) stupidity and other people’s carelessness. We would like to believe that it is all…

• suratan takdir
• ajal maut di tangan Tuhan
• the time has come for those victims
• God loves them more

And we make all the excuses…to move on. Never to look back. We take heart, gain courage, buck up. But buckle up? Huh, what for? Kalau dah nak mati tu, pakai seat belt ke, pakai baju besi ke, mati jugak. So, tinggal lah mereka dan keluarga mereka dalam kebodohan yang menyedihkan dan kesedihan yang bodoh.

I am harsh, indeed. Insensitive, yes of course I am. But I know God doesn’t do the buckling up for me, He doesn’t fasten MY or Kitreena’s seat belt.