Unity the foundation of a just society

THE viral video of a homeless man being splashed with water and kicked for sleeping on the sidewalk of a bank in Kuala Lumpur recently has struck a raw nerve across the country.

The public’s shock is understandable. We like to think of ourselves as compassionate, religious and morally grounded. Yet, this single episode compels us to ask uncomfortable questions.

Have we become desensitized to the suffering of the vulnerable? Has compassion become conditional? Are we truly living our values or merely professing them?

What unfolded during the incident is not simply the misdeed of the two individuals involved – the security guard and another man. Their action is a reflection of a deeper moral erosion taking shape silently in modern societies everywhere, where convenience trumps conscience and the vulnerable are seen as troublesome rather than fellow human beings.

Yet, amid the cruelty, there was hope – the intervention of community member Tony Lian, founder of an NGO that helps the poor, who offered the victim shelter. He demonstrated the timeless truth that one act of empathy can restore balance where injustice seems overwhelming.

Some discussions online attempted to dissect the incident through a racial lens because the individuals involved were of different ethnic groups.

This response, while unsurprising given Malaysia’s longstanding sensitivities, distracts from the deeper lesson.

The real value of this episode lies in recognising that four human beings were involved: one victim, two aggressors, and one individual who embodied moral courage.

The situation reminds us that “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens”. When we view events through the lens of unity, race becomes irrelevant. What matters is the condition of our shared humanity and how we choose to respond to it.

Several unsettling elements emerged from this incident:

1. The aggressors’ actions show a troubling detachment from compassion. When a sleeping, helpless man becomes an object of annoyance rather than a soul deserving dignity, society has drifted from its moral anchor.

2. Malaysians often describe themselves as religious. But the measure of religion is not ritual; it is conduct, which emphasises that “goodly deeds” are the true expressions of faith.

The incident invites reflection on whether our moral principles influence our actions or merely decorate our speech.

3. There was bystander culture among the witnesses of the event who continued to film instead of intervening to help the homeless man. Technology has given us the illusion that recording injustice is sufficient. However, moral progress requires more than observation; it requires engagement as well.

4. The bank’s management acted promptly by issuing an apology. However, institutions must go beyond public relations responses. They must foster cultures grounded in dignity, compassion and ethical responsibility.

Every crisis holds the seed of progress. What happened in Cheras, painful as it is, offers Malaysians a moment of collective moral introspection. “Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.” The moral path requires transforming indignation into action, cultivating empathy, strengthening community bonds and recognising the inherent nobility of every soul, including the homeless and marginalised in society.

This incident should spark renewed commitment to preventing similar occurrences in future. If one man can be mistreated so casually, then every Malaysian has a duty to ensure that such behaviour does not become normalised.

We must treat every person regardless of status as a human being with dignity, and institutions must prioritise ethical training and humane approaches in their public interactions.

There must also be community-based support systems for the homeless and vulnerable.

Above all, Malaysians must recognise that unity, not division, is the foundation of a just society.

KT MARAN

Seremban