“Homo humus, Fama fumus, Finis cinis,” so declared a man of
the cloth when stating in Latin that “Man is dust, Fame is smoke and Ashes in the end.” I find this six–worded Latin statement very thought–provoking as I ponder what is to be.
The brevity of the statement indeed accentuates its depth, especially when one directs one’s thought on the Dec 9 arrests of Edmund Bon, the chairman of the Human Rights Committee as well as the National Young Lawyers’ Committee, and the four lawyers who walked in a celebration of the United Nations–sponsored Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of Dec. 10, 1948.
What brought about these two instances of arrests by the Royal Malaysian Police?
In Edmund Bon’s case, he was the elected Bar Council official in charge of the
Bar Council’s third year of observing Human Rights Day, although it was
admittedly subdued. According to reports, when the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
or City Council of Kuala Lumpur’s officers moved into the Bar Council premises
during the celebrations to tear down celebratory buntings, Edmund tried to tell
them to stop, even inviting them for nasi lemak. These officers responded by
getting the police to arrest him.
In the case of the four lawyers – the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee
deputy chairman Amer Hamzah Arshad, Parti Keadilan vice chairman K. Sivarasa and
supreme council member Latheefa Beebi Koya as well as lawyer–activist N.
Surendran – they had, together with four others, including non–practising lawyer
Eric Paulsen, taken part in a celebratory walk to mark Human Rights Day.
It is clear that despite the political affiliation of Sivarasa and Latheefa,
they were doing this 400–yard walk from the front of the Sogo Department Store
in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to the Bar Council building in Jalan Raja in the
national capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, in their individual capacity.
According to reports, they had finished half of their walk with about 200 others
when the police moved in after telling the “illegal” but peaceful assembly to
disperse.
So, all of them found themselves in Session Court No 1, Kuala Lumpur, on the
Monday morning of Dec 10, 2007, to answer charges before Judge S.M. Komathy
Suppiah. None other than our nation’s Attorney–General Tan Sri Gani Patail led
the three–person Prosecution team comprising Datuk Yusof and Raja Rozila.
Edmund, represented by Srikant Pillay, Richard Wee, Saha Deva, Bernard Francis
and Brenda Silva, pled not guilty to a charge for obstructing DBKL officers in
the execution of their duties under section 186 of the Penal Code.
The section reads: “Whoever voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the
discharge of his public functions shall be punished with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to RM10,000, or
with both."
Edmund also said that during his arrest, he had been sustained injuries after
being manhandled by the police.
Amer, Sivarasa, Surendran and Koya, represented by P. Valen, Ragunath Kesavan
and Tommy Thomas respectively, pled not guilty to the charges under sections
27(5)(a) and s 27(4) of the Police Act for “unlawful assembly,” charges
punishable under section 27(8) and sections 143 and 154 of the Penal Code.
The charges attract a fine of not less than RM2,000 and not more than RM10,000
and a jail term not exceeding one year.
The first hurdle before the counsel for the offenders was the opposition to bail
by Tan Sri Gani. Arguments from opposing sides went fast and furious, but it
resulted in bail being granted, only the question of quantum.
Again, arguments from opposing sides went fast and furious, but finally Judge
Komathy Suppiah fixed bail at RM1,000 for Edmund Bon and RM2,000 each for the
others.
To be sure, there was a touch of humour in the whole affair. The public gallery
broke into laughter as the Judge earlier asked: "Isn't Edmund a habitual
latecomer to Court?” Tan Sri Gani ended his day in jest as well when, in an
apparent reference to the judicial remark, he expressed his wish that his
friend, Edmund Bon, might come in Court in time in future.
On the surface, it looks like all’s well that ends well, except that the Court
has fixed the hearing for Jan. 28 to 31 next year.
As I take all this in, I recall the six–worded Latin sentence: “Homo humus, Fama
fumus, Finis cinis.”
What does it mean for all of us? What does the statement that “Man is dusty,
Fame is smoke and Ashes in the end” mean for all of us?
It just means that whatever happens, life is just a transient journey across the
dimension of time. Unless we are not humans or super–humans, let us treat each
other as human beings on a short journey. Let us be kind to each other since
after this journey of life is but a mere preparation for something more
permanent.
Our temporal journey ends where we begin –in dust. Fame, status and wealth are
just fleeting. Let us with wisdom remember that whatever our beliefs, the
Almighty is always present. Let us take pride in that and not in our temporary
status, wealth or fame.