Friday, May 04, 2007

An Eye for An Eye!

I came across an article in Harro, "Are We Becoming a Nation of Maid Bullies".
It is infuriating that more and more cases of maid and animal abuse are being reported.

Perhaps it is time that the law changes somewhat to make it more deterrent for would-be maid and animal abusers. If an abuser made his maid eat raw chicken or dog shit, he would be punished in the same way. Only then would he realise how "delicious" these two items are! If an abuser starved his maid or his pet dog, he would be deprived of food too for the same period that he subjected his maid or pet to hunger.
Only then would he know the pain of an empty stomach!

I was surprised when I logged into who had read my blog. Under the search engine of a surname, I came across my relative's name and was stunned when I read that she had been jailed for two months for abusing her maid. I had to confess I felt no pity for her. As she came from a very wealthy family, she is very pampered and always feels as if the world owes her a living! Now I rejoice she cannot hire a maid anymore as she has been permanently barred!

Usually I am very soft hearted and forgiving. However, I cannot have compassion for any maid or animal abuser. Let us all remember that none of us has any right to bully another. These poor maids have left their families and friends to come to Singapore to eke out a living, working hard and sending a great part of their meagre earnings home. The least we can do is to respect them as human beings who are also loved by the Creator.

I guess for some, it means nothing to be jailed for one or two months. The above measures, though harsh, will make people think twice. An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth!

If Mahatma Gandhi were still alive, he would probably rephrase his maxim to, "A great nation is measured by the way her people treat maids and animals in the country."

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