Ray of Hope?

It is called Taman Sinar Harapan but where was the ray of hope? It is a government-run shelter home yet such neglect and human rights violation happened. What is our government doing? What is the function of the Malaysia's Social Welfare Department? This is beyond believe.

On Sunday, The Star Online reported about the mistreatment on these poor souls at Taman Sinar Harapan. For those who have read the articles, I am sure there are feelings of sadness, anger, and disgust. It really struck me how lacking are we in terms of knowledge about people with mental disorders. It really showed to the world that people hired to take care of these homes are not qualified personnel. When the government doesn't give a damn about these people, how do we expect the general public will?

From time to time, I am always approached by people in coffee shops asking for donations for various homes. I always think if they are registered with the Malaysia's Social Welfare Department, why can't they seek funds from there or get the brains to do something more effective? Going from table to table is not effective and is definitely a method of inefficient. With this incident at Taman Sinar Harapan, I am starting to get a clearer picture that the government doesn't really care and the welfare department is just not doing enough.

From the incident, it's also clear that the country is lacking in the professionals. The number of psychiatrists and psychologists are definitely not enough. Are we seeking our fortune in this world a little too much? Have we as scholars in this field not cared enough? Are we too concerned about ourselves and forgetting the needs of this area?

At this age and time, the ray of hope for these people are just fading away. We live in a world that materialism isn't a choice. It simply is a need. Till we achieve our riches, then only will we consider the option to help out. It's that sad this world is. At least at this part of the world. If only we can drop everything and make a change. We never dare, we never will.