Orchard Plaza Murder: What Lies Beneath
A gathering disappointment hit me as soon as I came across news of the Orchard Plaza murder. The victim, Mohamad Noraidi, was mercilessly slashed by eight youths, most of them aged below 25. Little did I know that such uncivilized and aggressive behavior still does exist in today’s modern society. Moreover, a large part of my disappointment comes from the fact that all those involved hold the same race that I do.
The leftover gangs are trying to revive their glorious past. Society used to be intimidated by them; the police used to have a hard time with them, though eventually the former prevailed. What better way to restore the fame than recruiting youths? Read reports of the Orchard Plaza murder closely and you will notice that the plan is already underway. Six of the eight arrested -Muhammad Suhairi Badron, 22, Muhammad Ridhwan Aziman, 19, Muhammad Saiful Islam Simon, 19, Mohamad Ja’afar Zakaria, 17, Hariz Fitri Jauhari, 17, and Fahmi Fitri Jauhari, 19- are teenagers. Not surprisingly, one suspect stood out: Affendi Sohor, 40. I am confident he is the teacher, the mentor, one of the senior members of the near-extinct gangs.
I can’t hide the shame that all those involved in this murder are Malays. I know some of you out there believe that this is an isolated case but we should never underestimate whatever that is lying beneath now. I am referring to the overwhelming negative influence of gangsterism among the young in the Malay community. Tattoos and violence are proliferating here. And mind you, they are spreading fast. So what are the parents doing? What in the world is the family doing?
What lies beneath the Orchard Plaza murder is the realization of the weak family structure in our society. Berita Harian reported that no member of the family of all the suspects were present during the court hearing. Surely, something is amiss here. My verdict is that these youths, these misled teenagers were neglected by their parents. With no one to turn to for support and protection, they turn to a much senior friend, in this case probably Affendi. From there, they were recruited in gangs and taught about the gangsters’ way of life. To me, this is what lies underneath.
Saiful Isalam Simon’s father was caught before for being a JI member, that planned to bomb Yishun MRT several years ago. As a psychology student, I am doing my own research n this. I think it is the ripple effect.
Woah. Interesting piece of information here. All the best for your research.
I disagree with you that their parents are neglecting them. I mean it’s wrong to assume it in that way. Some children have a good & clean family background. Their parents did raise them well. However at the end of the day, the choice still lies in them – whether to be a good or bad person. They are the ones who choose to follow the wrong path. It’s out of the parent’s control. It is an unfair to put all the blame to the parents. I believed they have tried their best & always pray for the wellbeing & bright future of their children.
And when parents are in a total disappointment, for cases like this, it’s not that they don’t care. They are heartbroken to see their children end up being like this. They are too disappointed that they don’t want to show their concern anymore.
Thank you there for your point of view. At the end of the day, the parents are still partly responsible, no matter how much anyone could deny it. They could have sought for help faster, etc. They could have found the change in behaviour, etc. One more thing:
‘too disappointed that they don’t want to show their concern anymore’
- giving up you mean?
That’s all. =)
You know some kids are good & well behaved in front of their families. However, behind them, only GOD knows how these kids are. And some parents who have realised it, have gone through all means & ways to lead their children to the correct path BUT as what Malays always say “pucuk pangkal hati sendiri”. All these kids are big enough to think & decide what is good & what is bad for them. As for this case, how about the 40 year old man? Do you have to blame his parent considering his age?
And as for my statement that you have highlighted, its not to mean that they have already given up. Obviously all these kids don’t care about their parents’ feelings. Their parents tried so hard to educate them both morally & religiously, I believed. All these kids are the sort who taknak & takkan dengar cakap. Some kids have been sent to counselling, boy’s home etc by their parents. And they keep giving empty promises that they will change bla bla bla, especially when facing difficult times. And definitely, the parents again & again giving them chances to change & hope they will really change. BUT these stupid kids will only change temporarily. Do you still need to blame the parents?
And so, when they are too stubborn & facing a deep shit, why should the parents show their care anymore?
By the way, I’m talking based on experiences from people I have met along the way. =)
Usually, it is due to neglection by parents who are too busy to try to educate their children on the proper moral values. After all, if everyone had parents who would consistently emphasize on the need to stay on the right path and to do only the right things, if proper moral education were given by the parents to their children, perhaps none of these would have happened. As I have always seen, teens with a strong family bond inculcated in them think twice when faced with defiance etc for the sake of their parents; not to disappoint them etc. However, parents are not to be blamed either, as parents nowadays are not exactly having a good time. With the rising COL of Singapore and the increasing need to earn more money in order to provide a consistent well-fed life to their children, it has placed increasing pressure on parents. It is in fact, an undeniable fact that parents have no choice but to sacrifice their time with their children in order to be able to afford and provide a better life for them. I believe all parents want well for their children, but sometimes, it is just out of the parents’ control that teens these days choose to go down the wrong path in life. As such, teens tend to turn to their peers when in face with decision-making especially, and this is way all wrong choices are made. Teens being less mature in their thinking, get easily influenced and strayed away, causing them to become vulnerable victims to the sweet talks of the gang members etc. It is just such a depressing trend that teens these days seem to be going down the wrong way.
Very well written.
You just highlighted a cycle which can go on and on in our society. Parents to the teens, who would later become parents to their own children. Thus, the cycle. Perhaps, all these could have been avoided if the teens are thought well to differentiate between right and wrong. Would religion help in this case? Maybe. Maybe not.
Thanks for the input. I really find your arguments interesting and spot on. To be frank with you, I have the same view as you regarding the role of religion in this issue. So I guess we have somewhat reached a closure.