It was a shocking news to stomach. I was watching tv3 news bulletin last night when a picture of 2 lifeless bodies lying on the bed covered with white blanket surrounded by hordes of people took my interest.
It was the bodies of 2 children who have been strangled to death with an iron cord by their own mother as reported in the news. It numbed me for a while as I was thinking of how a mother could have done such horrible act onto her children.
Has she gone insane? Was she abnormally depressed that to end her misery was to take her children' life? When the news further indicated that the tragedy could have been sparked by the woman's husband wish to take another wife, then it became all clear to me that this was the reason why. To some extent, I hold the woman's husband partly responsible for what had happened. Still, the act of killing her children to justify her anger and revenge should not be condoned.
This sad story reminded me of another mom in Texas, USA who was charged with 1st degree murder for drowning her 5 children ranging from 7 years to 6 months old in the bathtub some 4 years ago. Apparently, she was afflicted with severe post partum depression prior to the murder. Just like the malay mom, Andrea Yates herself had some marital problems with a very demanding husband as the news said.
Back to the first story, how many times have we heard or read stories of irresponsible heartless husbands who abandoned their families only to fend for themselves because of that other woman?
It is cruel enough to be left on your own devices and raise children without much financial aid, its even worse if the woman is a housewife with no possible income at all. It can degrade and handicap one's moral, emotionally and spiritually. Some women are born strong and resilient and some are not. To those who are not, these are the ones that eventually disintegrate and probably resort to some unthinkable acts in later stage. What can we all do to prevent this?
There's nothing much we can do if their marriage is failing or life failing them. So be it if its fated. What they mostly need at the moment is emotional and moral support and of course some financial assistance would be helpful. If only the boys' mother had seek help from her family or friends alike, the boys would have been alive today.
My heart tells me, they have gone to a far better place right now. Al-fatihah to Muhammad Alis Haqumi and Muhammad Alis Hazmi.
