When authorities unwittingly encourage mobs

It is a given observation that bad things happen when good people do nothing. This is the axiom of many disasters and conflicts in the past, from the Dark Ages to the crusades, even up to the multiple terrorist attacks and continued conflict in areas such as Syria and Ukraine.

But zoom down to the ground here in Malaysia, and you will find that this observation applies on a micro scale, especially in terms of law enforcement. When the authorities delay enforcing laws, then it can be seen as justifying the actions of mobs.

In the last weeks, we have seen both right wing organisations and mobs take issue with the swindling sales of handphones in Kota Raya. Of course, Malaysians would have thought that after the Low Yat incident where a teenager stealing a phone triggered a racial mob earlier this year, the government would have implemented more measures to stop a repeat of such an event.

But that was not the case. It seems that other than establishing a "Bumiputera Low Yat" which has yet to achieve full tenancy, there was no thought whatsoever given to better security measures, better enforcement on phone sellers or even to ensure that consumers know their rights.

As per the online testimony of the Muslim Consumer's Association (PPIM) which went viral on Facebook, a migrant worker buying four phones at RM200 a piece suddenly ended up locked in a room for four hours and was cajoled into paying RM10,000 before the seller agreed to take whatever was left in the person's bank account.

Now firstly, this con is not new. In fact, we all heard about this con in 2014 when it happened in Singapore's Sim Lim Square, remember?

In that case, a Vietnamese migrant worker had to pay an additional US$1,500 for some so-called warranty fee. Even before that, an earlier case was caught on video in which a man who begged for a refund was paid in coins.

So just to point out again, this is not new and it is in fact a national issue, not just in our country. The difference, however, is the reaction to these cases.

In Singapore, the errant phone dealer was made popular on social media through the a Facebook page and gained nationwide infamy on the island nation to the point where everyone (even an economy rice shop owner) decided to overcharge him as a tit-for-tat.

On top of that, the local consumer association decided to take the owner to court and urged the public to boycott the shop.

And now, let us get back to Malaysia. What happened in the recent Kota Raya case?

Absolutely nothing. No action by the authorities or the Consumer Affairs Department or even the company registrar. It was brought to the attention of the consumers' tribunal, but with little follow-up action. And this is what triggered the PPIM raid, a Red Shirt call for boycott and even an attack on Kota Raya.

Does it justify mob rule? Of course not.

But when authorities openly do nothing or take their own sweet time to deliver even the slightest form of justice, they must understand that they are unwittingly encouraging these acts.

Furthermore, it stinks of bias when these issues are considered not worthy of police attention but other affairs – countering a nonexistent Christian conversion threat, threatening legal action against people who refuse to budge when motorcades come through, arresting old men and women who talk about religion as being seditious – are handled and commented on with urgent expediency.

There is that, and the biased inaction of the authorities on what Malaysians believe is a threat to our multifaceted way of life. While the Kota Raya incident saw a mob, more and more Malaysians are resenting these inactions quietly, waiting for a time when they can put their voices to the fore in an election.

However, as we saw with Low Yat and Kota Raya, there are those with less patience demanding for action now, being egged on by non-governmental organisations such as PPIM, Perkasa or even some of those in Bersih for that matter.

Ministers and the authorities need to understand that their actions will in fact have dire ramifications because Malaysian society is reaching a boiling point due to the increased pressure of staying alive.

Increasing cost of living, subsequently lacking quality in services and even goods, the added pressure of being conned by unscrupulous traders and that of the government making money off it through the goods and services tax (GST) means that the onus lies on the government in the end.

Basically put, if you're making money off it, chances are someone will hold you accountable even if they're being swindled without your involvement. But then again, you are the government.

You are involved in everything. – December 29, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.