Baby dumping: Death Penalty won't work

Baby dumping seems to be another social problem plaguing the nation and so much has been said about it. The latest controversial suggestion is to impose the death penalty on people who dump their baby or babies. Before the cabinet get all cooked up and becoming too emotional, one question the government needs to ponder over is: Have we run out of ideas on how to tackle this menace OR are we trying to take the easy way out?

Are we going back to the old maxim - An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Is the cabinet very confident that by imposing the death penalty it can solve the problem? Just look at drug trafficking. Even the hangman's noose cannot deter the traffickers. They keep coming back flooding the nation with all kinds of ways to outwit the police.

The school, families and the community have their roles to play to help and educate those facing this problem. Schools should start to inculcate good moral values beginning from primary schools with the hope that many will realise that baby dumping is not our way of life. Teachers have vital roles to play because students tend to listen and obey their teachers more than their own parents. Parents should be held responsible for their children, especially those below 18. As the old maxim goes, 'Like father, like son', parents are the actual role models for the children to emulate. If parents smoke, what business do they have to tell their children not to. Likewise if one has two or more wives, the children will tend to do so or even worse. Community should act as the eyes and ears, not only for their immediate families, but for the people around them as well. They should not fear reporting to the school authorities or those in power any immoral activities or activities detrimental to societies.

No religion would condone baby dumping as it is a sin to take life. It is roported that many of them lack religious education and because of that indulge in illicit sex. Pornograhy becomes the norm to these sexual predators. After all, pornography is easily available and who is there to stop them. Therefore parents, schools and the communities must instil instil religious values in children from a very young age, probably even before pre-school. The introduction of sexual education may have to be speeded up instead of the continue debate and sugar coating. Sometimes we talk more than we do and the end result is left to anybody's guess. Let's not waste time. What the public wants is some concrete action from the those in power.



Jeremiah Tan