Law-abiding vs law-fearing
IN light of the recent case of Cikgu Azizan that was notably followed by many in Malaysia, some may have begun to question again whether corporal punishment is still relevant in Malaysia. It is very common for adults or even adolescents to share their fair share of stories about corporal punishment in school.
To many of us, corporal punishment has been part and parcel of our childhood. Some may even insist that without corporal punishment, we will not be who we are today. And I tend to agree with that statement, though not because of the fact that a majority of Malaysians may think of corporal punishment as a necessary evil in our education system.
Teachers and some parents carry it out in the hope of transforming seemingly disobedient or delinquent children into good law-abiding adults when they grow up. The intention is certainly noble but did we ever stop to consider the effects of such pun- ishment? It would be reasonable to believe that each of us who experienced such punishment was afraid of it at the time.
It creates a sense of fear for the law which in turn keeps us in check. By following this path, perhaps we are creating a nation of law-abiding citizens who just fear the law and the consequences of breaking it rather than truly understanding and respecting the law.
Just a crude example would be why Malaysians generally could not care less about littering when compared to, say, stealing. Perhaps this occurs because no one is there to reprimand you when you litter. Because of that, our mentality has become “if no one catches/punishes me, I am not doing anything wrong”.
Thus, corporal punishment may create “law-fearing” citizens instead of law-abiding citizens.
How can we hope that Malaysia will progress and become a developed nation when we create law-fearing mentality individuals instead of those who can think what is right or wrong without needing the law or punishment to tell them? It is understandably a stretch how corporal punishment could affect the progress of this wonderful country but as the saying goes, “melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya” (meaning educate the children from young).
My next point is that even if we decide that corporal punishment is a necessity, are our educators or even parents able to carry it out effectively? More often than not, we have seen parents or educators who carry out the punishment with uncontrolled rage. I am not saying that this is happening everywhere but I am sure it has happened before.
As adults, we should explain to children why they are being punished and why it is wrong to do what they did. And punishment should be carried out without any personal bias or anger.
What about the emotional impact that would be imprinted in the child’s mind when he or she grows up? Many would say: “Hey, I turned out just fine.” But what about those who did not turn out fine? Would we know? Would these children actually have a voice and say: “I am not fine”? Some traditions should be preserved but corporal punishment should not be one of them.
However, it is unlikely that this mindset is going to change soon among many Malaysian parents and educators. Thus, at least before administering corporal punishment, I urge all educators and parents to carry it out responsibly and not let anger control them.
After all, would it not be better to have law-abiding citizens who could think for themselves rather than just continue creating “law-fearing” Malaysians?