Death Awaits...

...if Guilty.

Most of the time mad redo1 writes about sports on these pages. But there are a few other things that he writes about too, and this is one of them.

I woke up with the TV showing a caption "Guru dituduh edar ganja" (Teacher accused of traffiking cannabis). Suddenly a familiar face appeared on the screen and my fear was confirmed when the newscaster announced the name of the teacher.

Abdul Karim Mohamed.

We just recently re-acquainted with one another through Facebook (where else?) and frankly, I was surprised that he has become a teacher. An English teacher.

Abdul Karim was a junior when I was at my school in Dungun. We shared the same block and came across each other almost daily. As time went on he developed into a person that did not fall into the category that I would like to hang out with due to his need to be seen as rebellious.

When I was appointed to the prefect board Abdul Karim certainly did not make my life as a prefect any easier (of course, he was not the only ones). He was naughty with his shenanigans but not to the extent of being a juvenile.

Thus, when I read through his Facebook that he was teaching English at the respected male only Sekolah Menengah Agama Sultan Zainal Abidin Ladang, I was surprised but glad that he has become a good person. As a teacher, he is way better than me.

Upon hearing the full charge which carries the mandatory death penalty, it saddened me greatly. With the additional information that he was tested positive for substance when the police arrested him, the thought that came across my mind was 'Abdul Karim is being Abdul Karim that I knew in the past'.

For all the 'difficult' moments that he gave me at school, never I wish he would receive this kind of punishment in return.

Admittedly I do not know Abdul Karim that well after our school days to really pass my judgment on him.  But he seems to have the full support of his students who are saying all the positives about him on his Facebook wall. It is good to know that during that time he has done so many good things and made positive impact on so many young lives.

Hopefully, the positives will far outweigh the negatives.

As for the charge, it is up to the courts to find him guilty or innocent. I for one will take a keen interest on the development of this case and for the sake of those who love and care for him, I hope the judgment will be the latter.


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