ANOTHER day, another incident of mob justice being meted out in this “peaceful” land of Malaysia.
In a case that has shocked the nation, a young student – Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat – was beaten to death by schoolmates at Lahad Datu Vocational College over alleged theft of monies.
The victim, aged 17, was set upon by 13 other students who accused him of wrongly pocketing money amounting to the grand sum of between RM35 and RM50.
Yes, digest that for a minute. A young lad in the prime of his life is very tragically no more because of a dispute amounting to what can best be described as a miniscule sum.
Duit hilang dipercayai punca Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat dibelasah hingga mati
Lahad Datu: Perselisihan faham kerana wang berjumlah RM35 dan RM50 hilang dipercayai punca seorang pelajar mati dipukul oleh rakan penghuni asrama kolej vokasional di sini, semalam.
Ketua Polis Daerah… pic.twitter.com/96YAYdmpDH
— MYNEWSHUB (@mynewshub) March 23, 2024
This follows the recent case of a motorist who was dragged from his car after a hit-and-run incident. He was bound and then brutally beaten to death by an angry mob.
The news was shared on MyNewsHub page on X (formerly Twitter) which has generated 1.2 million views at time of writing. Many netizens expressed shock at yet another senseless act of violence which has not only taken the life of the victim but looks set to destroy the lives of the young perpetrators as well.
This is a sample of netizen’s reactions:
Regardless of the amount of money allegedly stolen, many netizens said the perpetrators had no right to take the law into their own hands.
Some were just simply disgusted at the attitude of these young punks, wondering what sort of adults they will turn out to be.
Quite a few demanded harsh punishments for the alleged thugs. Some even called for them to be sent to the gallows for their crime even though they are technically still juveniles and cannot be tried as adults.
The point many seem to be making is how a moment of hot-headedness has ruined their collective futures, not to mention countless other lives that include the immediate families of all those involved.
Speaking from experience, one netizen claimed that incidences of bullying was prevalent in boarding schools.
Many also said that these youths seem to have no understanding of the value of life.
It must be pointed out that these incidents of extreme bullying and beatings that lead to deaths are not isolated incidents here. They seem to pop up every few years as pointed out in the comments.
Some asked where were the school wardens while arguing that they need to be more vigilant given that such cases of bullying is a major issue in boarding schools.
Some subtly pointed out that such behaviour and culture of bullying had been glamourised by local TV series.
Many also pointed out why so many youths were involved in this incident. They felt it was a clear case of bullying with the students hell bent on extracting some form of mob justice.
Most simply said that no matter what the circumstances are, there is no excuse for murder.
While the Americans wrangle with school shootings, Malaysians have to contend with extreme bullying and murder in their halls of learning. This is not a new problem but one that has been left to fester for decades where this culture of bullying and ragging is considered par for the course.
The Malaysian public should be very concerned and demand that the book be thrown at these perpetrators, including those involved in the recent hit-and-run incident in Semenyih.
A clear message must be sent out – such a state of lawlessness where angry mobs act as judge, jury and executioner will NOT be tolerated.
One netizen summed it up best by invoking Bonnie Tyler’s 80s hit – ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’.… – March 26, 2024
