(mn) A few months ago I featured some of the excellent activists that I had met. One of them was Satiswary who ran virtues development classes for children in a really rough neighborhood [Kajang, Malaysia].
We chatted with some neighbors and found out that every week there was a killing in this area! It was easy to believe.
A few minutes before, 2 boys inched their car closer and closer to me. They were pointing at me and having a good laugh in the car. And it was completely unprovoked! I was just standing in the carpark minding my own business when these boys decided to scare me with their threatening antics.
Just the week before, at about noon, in full view of all the residents (including children), a man was chopped and murdered in broad daylight!
One of the neighbors lamented, “di sini, budak baik pun mesti jadi tak baik.” (”even good kids turn out bad”) She would know – her own child has ended up in jail.
“Setiap kali saya datang sini saya takut!” (”every time I come here I am scared”). I remained humbled by the risks they taking just to keep this small class alive.
By Manesh Nesaratnam at Good People We Meet (http://goodpeoplewemeet.wordpress.com)