Thieves are like predators, constantly on the alert, waiting for the right moment to pounce on its prey. They are not choosy about their victims, be it their own friends, family members, teachers and mentors or even the hands that feed them. It doesn't matter if their victims are the from the highest authority where they are getting their education from (for this is what I am about to expose), when opportunity strikes, the craving can only be satisfied by blindly taking things that are not theirs. There is a sense of fulfillment when their actions are accomplished, and more fulfilling if the amount or value of possession is bigger than before.
People steal for a variety of reasons. Greed, insecurity and the insatiable urge for attention are some of it. For others it is for excitement and pleasure, a challenge, or even a symbol of status among their peers. No matter the reason, parents wonder where they went wrong and how it could happen in their family. Teachers worry that it may signal future anti-social behavior. All want the stealing to stop.
Last Friday, at around 3.30 to 4.00pm, a group of Persuasive students came to me to get some assistance about their work. So, I had to leave my room to discuss the matter with another colleague in his room upstairs on the first floor of the C10 building. Mine is on the first floor adjacent to the Berita Kampus lounge and newsroom. Since I thought I was still around in the building, I left my room unlocked, but the door was not ajar. The discussion with my colleague, En. Razak and the students took around half-an-hour or so. Unfortunately, this was when the thief got in and took the opportunity to plunder one of our precious belongings.
When I came back to my room I saw someone had left 2 flyers under the door (to which I checked with the sender, Pn Suriani who said it was sent in by another colleague, En. Adli). After doing some work with the computer on my desk, I felt like there was something amiss. I tried to look for the box set of USB Modem I left on the desk. It was not there. I searched hi-and-lo including every nook and corner of the room, but it was futile.
I double checked with my wife who was with me in the room when we brought it in from the shop and she said it was on the desk, where I left it, before I sent her home and went for Friday prayers.
We bought the modem and registered an Internet line for my wife earlier in the day so that she can use it in Kuala Lumpur, as she had to attend a four months course there. And since we still haven't had any, we decided to buy one as the broadband offer from that particular ISP was hard to refuse. And then, a few hours later some mischievious 'petty thief' in the form of a 'Warga Universiti' had the cheek to enter my room and justify his/her actions by stealing from us something we paid for from our own sweat and tears.
Some of you might want to question, why did I blame a 'Warga Universiti' for the theft? Well, there is no other group of people using that area of the building (what more enter my room) apart from my own colleagues, whom I had worked with for so many years. The other party must be from the final year Journalism and Persuasive students.
For your info, and as I've mentioned earlier, my room is adjacent to the Berita Kampus lounge, and the students who ply that area are mainly the Journalism students, particularly the group who are doing the first edition of Berita Kampus. And this group of students had just begun to use the building and its facilities, the most for 5 days, since Tuesday or Monday.
Mind you, I am not simply blaming a particular group or people here, but if you were in my shoes, you would likely want to ask around and shortlist the people who were there on that day, and this is what I am doing. I already have their names shortlisted, and if that 'petty thief' happens to read this, you better watch out. Make a wrong move again and I will catch you and the beat the living daylights out of you and make sure you'll swear you never knew my name before. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit here, but just to show how serious I am, I will do whatever it takes in my power to catch this thief.
Last semester, a group of students were made to pay for a digital device from the school's facilities that was (I believe) stolen from one of them. No one admitted, and nobody returned the device. So someone had to make an authority to decide and 'force' everybody pay for it, which incidentally was unfair for the rest of them, but was the only option to settle the case and pay for the stolen device. I have to mention this in particular because reports on the lost of digital devices belonging to the school or personal ones were not isolated cases. As what had happened previously, many cases of theft had been reported with similar modus operandi. And apparently, all of them points to none other than that particular group of 'Warga Universiti'.
Shame on them and shame on us too. We, as their mentors have to take part of the blame. One, due to our 'misguided' trust on their maturity and two, for not being more vigilant in taking care of our belongings.
But then, even if we were to put more regulations and enforce whatever routines that they want to do, there will always be pros and cons, loopholes and miscalculations here and there - to which we have to bear the consequences through trial and error.
So, what went wrong here? Did we fail them or did they fail us?
Still no sign of the CCTV
Izaham
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