<B>par Rubina DOOBOORY</B>

The recent murder of little Marie Anita Jolita has traumatised the country and showed our inchoate awareness of pressing social problems. The sadistic violence and contempt of the perpetrators of that monstrosity make one feel chilled to the marrow. One could not grasp the agony of the mother trying to come to terms with the loss of her only child snatched away for sexual gratification and murder. A child who should be playing with her dolls, learning new words and suckling on her dummy, has been raped, dismantled and fed to the ocean. It is still mind-boggling and deplorable to accept that two unscrupulous youngsters have committed such a blood-curling act.

When we cast our votes, this year, one of our major concerns was the need for change in our lives. We wanted and still want, among other things, to live in a true democracy where justice triumphs in all spheres of life and, more so now, in memory of little Marie Anita. No one can replace her, no one can alleviate her mother?s pain, no one can forgive those criminals but we can do something to get our legal system to start reassessing the existing laws to protect us. We need to address the problems of poverty, social segregation and, above all, the reintroduction of death penalty, which I prefer to term ?mercy killing? in the light of the atrocities perpetrated in our country.

Yesteryears, when paedophilia, incest, prostitution and murders took place in Europe, we shrugged it off as the atheistic westerners? twisted minds. In the 1990s, when two young children, in Liverpool, lured Jamie Burgess, to his death, the whole world was indignant at the callousness of those young offenders. Today, worse crimes are carried out in our midst and we have to be liberated from those killers, as we no longer have quality of life, let alone freedom of movement. I read with great resentment a commentator who claimed to be alarmed at seeing young girls walking down the streets at 11 p.m. Why shouldn?t they? Aren?t we free to walk at anytime we wish? Those criminals and sex fiends marauding the streets give us the perfect excuse to become recluse and accept that there are no ?loupgarou? to scare off children but rapists and murderers around the corner. We are facing the worst nightmare of our society. We are all under house arrest because of the crimes ensnaring us. As women, we have to dress up according to our grandmother?s catalogue to distract any louts with perverted vision. After dark, we are locked indoors, glued to the goggle box for positive news and entertainment. Our quality of life is deteriorating and our security is non-existent. The government needs to enact new laws and bring back the death penalty, which will be, for us house prisoners, only an extension of mercy killing.

There is no wrong in condemning the killers of Marie Anita to death. As it is, we have such an appalling human rights record against prisoners that reintroducing ?mercy killing? should not weigh too much on the minds of those politicians who have vouched to protect us. In Saudi Arabia, where corporal punishment is exercised and death sentence in place, violence is under control. For anyone with his/her hackles up and in defiance of what I have said, take a look at America: the most civilised country in the world but where capital punishment is in force in many states.

Why should we be afraid of imposing death sentences? Are we expected to inure ourselves to such atrocities in our country? Let Marie Anita give us the courage to readdress the current poignant issues marring our society and reintroduce death penalty. It has led many human activists to deplore the lack of consideration for life. The Hindus believe in ahimsa (non-violence) whilst the Koran elaborates the sanctity of life: ?Whoever has spared the life of a soul, it is tough he has spared the life of all people. Whoever has killed a soul, it is as though he has murdered all of mankind.? Indeed, a few years ago, Timothy McVeigh?s death sentence sent shock waves around the world. I was against his execution irrespective of his hideous crime in Oklahoma. One look at his staunch Christian upbringing, military engagement in the Gulf war, and demeanour made one reluctant to accept his responsibility of the crime. Like many social workers who are trying to cogitate over the reasons of the murder of Marie Anita, one felt inclined to analyse why Timothy committed such an act. However, the sheer devastation caused by his single deed of terrorism and the deaths of young children, the heart-wrenching pictures of parents mourning their lost loved ones, transcended religious convictions and the ramification of his actions warranted such a sentence.

In our society, we need to address the issue of death penalty. How long will mercy killing be toyed with without any fervent debate? Every time, an atrocious crime is committed, we all want to see death penalty imposed but, after the shock has subsided, we forget about those whose lives have been ruined. Whilst those with purchasing power can afford the security of a car and other protections, what about poor people? How can they be protected? How about those queuing up for a bus in the dark to get home? How can we protect them? What protection did Marie Anita have? She was a helpless victim. Today, we can shamefully look at our society and blame ourselves for our materialistic goals at the expense of moral enrichment. We are all in the rat race for the latest gadgets, exotic destinations and material wealth. Meanwhile, we are nurturing moral decadence amongst the socially deprived.

Now, it?s time for this government to give us what we want: security. We need changes and I offer a few suggestions:

DNA testing should be compulsory for under-18s and all offenders to get scientific proof to catch criminals. We should invest in security cameras in ?danger zones?.

Cut down on soft porn-movies, which are corrupting our youngster?s minds and pandering those sadistic tastes. Our over reliance on Indian films and soap operas is insulting. Look at the salacious nature of Indian movies. Who can claim that they are innocent? Do you blame those perverts with their tongues lolling out after watching this soft porn? Do we have a censor board? If we do, we need to see it in action.

Crack down on drugs. Is everyone checked upon entry into the country? How are drugs so readily available? By which route do they come in? What is the maximum sentence for drug peddlers? What about drug users? Do we have proper rehabilitation programmes?

Educate children instead of forcing them to compete. Educate teachers about psychological impact of their words to pupils. Bring in a more personal and human touch to our system.

Re-examine our legal system. Why should the gros bonnet be protected? Where are all those prosecuted and let off after a bribe has been paid? Come on, we are not idiots and all those business men who were caught with their trousers in their mouths are most often acquitted and never heard of afterwards, whilst the one-time offender is named and shamed and has a criminal record. Where is the justice in all that?

Bring more transparency in our employment system. There is no denying that meritocracy is an alien word in our vocabulary but suffice to say that every time a government is elected, they start nitpicking and dismiss people from their jobs if they?ve secured employment under the previous government. When is that childish game going to end? We need a fair and honest system of recruitment.

There is a need for consensus over what needs to be done. We don?t want laxity anymore. We don?t want to walk down the streets with a knife in our pocket, just in case some vagabonds are in the vicinity. We want our children to have the same breathing space we had whilst growing up. The innocent hide and seek game in the park or flying kites are all curbed. Why let the syringes of the drug addicts pollute our streets? Let our children grow and prosper. Don?t stifle their emancipation. Let us prevent another Marie Anita case by collectively voicing out our indignation and standing up for justice and truth. Let truth prevails in our daily lives as ?beauty is truth, truth beauty, that all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know? (Keats)