Shouldn't Someone Be Punished For This Callous Apathy?

The following report is from TheSun. It relates the lack of concern, heartlessness and unfeeling attitudes prevalent among the denizens of officialdom in Malaysia. Should our pegawai2 be termed and categorized as the 'living dead' for their impassive reactions to the needs of others and for being totally devoid of that essentially human quality, compassion? Read the report and comment.

NS administrators refused leave for trainee whose sick dad died
A housewife today took to task National Service camp administrators at Kem Kisana Beach Resort in Bali, Pasir Puteh for not allowing her daughter to take leave from training when her father was sick and for the funeral when he died two days later.

Semah Mat Ali, 52, claimed that her daughter Norliza Yusuf, 17, who is undergoing training at the camp, was allowed to visit her father, Yusuf Awang, 58, only for several hours last Saturday (April 21) when he was dying from stroke in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian and breathed his last on Monday (April 23).

This, she said, was despite the family producing a letter from the doctor to verify Yusuf's condition, which they (camp administrators) said to be incomplete.

"When her father died, Norliza was also allowed to leave the camp for only a few hours and told to return after that for several reasons, although the distance between our house and the camp is only about 30 minute's drive," she told Bernama when met in her Kampung Gong Chenggal house, here today.

She said one of the reasons given was their (camp administrators') fear that something untoward might happen to Norliza during the duration of her NS training at the camp.

Semah said Norliza, who is the fifth of six siblings, was very close to her father and was the one to bathe and feed him since she (Semah) had to go out to work in a tobacco farm in Tok Bali for income to support the family.

Norliza's sister, Norihan, 29, also regretted the treatment by the camp administrators. "Imagine how devastated she felt being the only one in the family who was not at our father's bedside when he breathed his last," she said.

She said the NS camp administrators should exercise compassion in such a situation. "What saddened us more was when the camp administrators turned down my appeal for my sister to be given a few days leave even when I submitted our father's death certificate," she added.

***** Such acts of official cruelty should not go unpunished. Who are these faceless 'administrators' who succeeded in devastating a young girl, preventing her from being with her dying father and refusing permission to grieve with her family after his death? Shame on these adults who have no remorse for their actions which has affected one of such a young age. These officials are mean people for whom indifference to the plight of others is an entrenched practice and how their actions traumatize the victim is of absolutely no consequence and not a matter to lose any sleep over. For their sin of omission should these National Service 'administrators' be punished? I would think yes.
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