The Adults Of Tomorrow

Children - the beginning of innocence as they walk through the journey into being adults. Children - the innocent beings who are subjected to differing experiences as they grow up in different environments. Children - who may grow up one day to be our future leaders ... or criminals.

The innocent joy of them being captured on film - it reflects their innocence in life. They laugh without hesitation, devoid of pre-judgement of people around them. If they are happy, they are happy. If they are sad, they are sad. There's no two ways about it and that is the beauty of innocence.

In the colours of red and white, which are the colours of our national flag, they dress appropriately for the occassion. The event was a colouring contest held as an activity as we near the birth-date of our country's independence from the British. They may or may not know or understand the significance of the colours they are wearing. They are innocent.

However, what has happened in the last two days is unimaginable. Kids were were detained for taking part in the anti-ISA march on 1st August, 2009 (Saturday). They were there because their parents were there. Onlookers they were, as they were innocent victims of the law. It is imperative that they are released immediately and the learned court judge must quickly address the negative-ness that will prevail should he fail to ensure their release by tomorrow, for they are under-aged victims of the law. Do not subject them to adult law for they are children. There's no law to punish children for taking part in a street protest. Do not hold them any longer.

Children who have the intelligence to grow into proper thinking adults. They must not be stained by the activities inside the prison cell. They must not be amongst drug addicts and other kinds of criminals as they await their release. However, the action of the police have firmed up their belief - that they must go against the unnatural justice. In the streets, they witnessed for themselves the solidarity of the various races, as they march together in their call for the abolishment of the draconian ISA. They may or may not understand the significance or even the meaning of the Internal Security Act, let alone read the contents of this piece of legislation. But by seeing so many people voicing their discontent about this unfair law which is mainly used against the opposition members, the kids would have formed their thoughts and made up their mind on who is right and who is wrong.

They saw for themselves how the citizens of Malaysia were bombarded with tear gas and shot with chemical laced water cannon, as they were preparing to disperse after the organisers had announced that the street protests were over. The police moved in because they were prevented earlier, by the huge crowd. It's clearly an act of over agression on the part of the police because the crowd did nothing but just to gather to show support for a common cause. They did no harm to anyone and did not damage anything. The businesses were affected because the police had cordoned a major part of the city. They were never really in any danger of losing their business because the crowd is also their potential customers. No, they didn't lose any more money than they do any other day. The shutters were pulled down because the police were shooting chemical laced water at the citizens of Malaysia.

Throughout the internet, photos and updates were fast on the update. The internet, being the more reliable source of information as the people have grown cynical of the mainstream media as they are instructed to publish only positive news about the people who gave them the orders to do so. Children - they are the ones who are fast catching up on the cyberworld and they are absorbing the information fast. It is the children who will be the future voters and they will know who they will choose. Children - do not belittle them because they are little. They will grow into giants one day...