4th Journal Entry

        Day after day, time passed away, and I just can’t believe that I’ve been here for 3 months. Now, we are all preparing for the final exam which will be started on the 26th of October. Wow.. It is just around the corner. Hmm, but the thing is, I haven’t finish my revision yet. Argh, there are still a lot of assignments to do. And the PBL! We have one more PBL before we can celebrate our independence from those nightmares. Insyaallah, we’ll give our best. For Mdm Maryam, this is the last journal entry. And I would like to ask for your forgiveness for any mistake or late submission of my journal entries. Okay, let us focus on the task which is the 4th journal entry for this semester. But what should I write? Hahaha.. Since we only have 3 weeks before the ‘war’, I should write about the final exam that might give birth to ‘numerous bloodsheds and tears’ for those who did not put their best effort in their preparation for the exam. Yet, in the 2nd entry, I’ve wrote about the final exam. So I have no idea regarding what should I share with you this time. If I have a girlfriend, maybe I can just write a story, a long story, to tell you how much this heart are beating for her. But unfortunately, I have none. hehe.. Ha, maybe I can share with you, my opinion pertaining to the law which is seems to be very funny and odd to me when I first read it. It is the law for ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. 

      I would like to pin out an old joke pertaining to punishment for suicide and attempted suicide.

Q: What's the punishment for suicide?

A: Life imprisonment.

Q: What's the punishment for attempted suicide?

A: Hanging.

      Yeah, oddity continues to be put before relevancy as punishment for attempted suicide is on the line for those who are trying to commit such ‘offence’. It is cruel to visit a troubled man with punishment on his failure to die. It seems awfully mean to add to the woes of those who have failed by bringing them up on charges. Section 309 of the Penal Code stated that anyone guilty of attempted suicide could face imprisonment of up to a year or fined or both. This law led to perspiration rather than inspiration to those non-government organisations and individuals who are striving in their endeavour to combat suicide in our society, thus this law seems to be irrelevant to be enforced.

      The joke up there enshrines the first flaw of the law which is it is not consistent as it can only punish those who have failed; the ones who succeed in their attempt are beyond the reach of law. This is a great departure from Article 7 of the United Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) which stated that, “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination”. In addition to that, Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia envisaged the same; “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”. If suicide is not an offence, why should we punish those troubled men who are attempting suicide? By punishing them, we are actually in effect of putting them in double terrific jeopardy. 

      Furthermore, punishment for attempted suicide usually failed at any test of logic to act as deterrence. But, our police today are considering to enforce the law which they claim might combat this disease from growing their roots in our society. Tan Sri Ismail Omar was reported saying that to NST. Yes, I’m aware of the statistic pin out by the Malaysian Psychiatric Association which stated that suicide rates have increased by 60 per cent in the past 45 years, with an estimated seven people attempting suicide daily. Yet, I do not ever think anyone would be deterred from attempting suicide by the impending punishment if they failed in their suicide attempt. I’m in the position of opposing the myth. Punishing people for attempted suicide will only push them nearer to the edge of that cliff that they are standing on. Instead of taking 10 pills of Panadol, they’ll make sure they succeed, and take 20. Instead of drinking one bottle of detergent, they’ll now drink 5. Instead of just cutting their wrists, they will now cut their wrists and jump from 10th floor. According to Dr Benjamin Tan, those who are attempting suicide would feel further traumatised if they are charged in court. By enforcing the law, some will be driven to commit suicide, AGAIN!

      In a nutshell, based on the two flaws that that have been enshrined in my entry, I totally condemn punishment for attempted suicide. Yeah, it is true, who am I to condemn the law made by our Parliament. But I think, this is the right place and the right time that I can use my freedom of speech under article 10 of the Federal Constitution to speak out and urge our experts to check on this law. In 1961, Great Britain abolished criminal penalties for attempting to commit suicide. India is also considering abolishing those punishments. It is a historical fact that our legal system and law were adopted mainly from these countries. So, why should we sing the old song and ignore the new rhythm which seems to be much more relevant? Should we, today, in the ever changing trends of the society continue with and adhere to this anomaly? The answer is, totally NO!

      Hmm, that’s all I have to share with you. I hope it is acceptable, not as a controversial issue or criticise, but for academic purposes. As the conclusion, I love to pin out the lyrics of the brilliant song by the Scorpion; “Wind of Change”. Enjoy it!

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close,like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Chorus:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever

I fallow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change.