Rumie Azan Mahlie In Memoriam

“Latok, we have done it!!!! Taken care of.�“BAGUS!! BAGUS!!� said the man at the other end of the phone with his husky voice. One could almost see his devilish smile.The date was 17 September 2004.*****************First the police then the ambulance, arriving at the scene already crowded with the locals. There was a lot of blood. A pool of blood at the car park. Still warm.The blood painted the newspaper red. It covered the still body. It was placed there by a kind-hearted Apek who earlier arrived at the scene. Respect for the dead.It was as if the blood, STILL WARM, was being greedily sucked by two well dressed gentlemen in the big photo at the centre of the newspaper. Some “audience� murmured among themselves, pointing at the photo now as red as red can be “Eh, can see or not, that face looks like Tan Sri hah? That one, the one standing in the middle, yalah, it’s Tan Sri�“Look so different la, all white hair now red� said another.Next to the all-important Tan Sri was the Latok, with his gleaming smile.Is this a coincidence - or perhaps a damning yet silent indictment from the lifeless?The protruding hand appeared to have been slit – could it be double suicide?Moments later, the family arrived. The children stood there, looking on, almost void of any emotion - too young to feel the gravity of this event that will change their lives forever.The wife went hysterical the moment she saw the body, as any wife would, holding him, jolting him and asking him “Why Bang, why??? Wake up!! WAKE UP!!!!� But to no avail.Some onlookers shook their heads and sighed. Some of his female colleagues wept. His other senior colleagues just looked on in silence, as if they were not surprised.A family destroyed, a life tragically cut short and why? For what?*********************“OK, look here, Latok want me to tell you, if you dare tell them about the operation, your wife, your kids, your family will be in big trouble!! YOU HEAR!!!! YOU FUCK!!�“You better shut up, remember the engineer few years ago?? Face kena acid?? You want be like him?? You want to be brave??? You go try lah!!!�“Latok already said the investigators can be dealt with at his level coz so many people are involved in this, all the way to the top. To the TOP, you know what that means?? Latok know people one, you don’t worry, he do it all the time but you MUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DON’T TALK!!!�“You small fish only you know, you piece of shit!!! You think if you talk you will be let off and get all of us into trouble??!! You piece of shit!!!�He just kept quiet, scared, running out of option.“Latok want me to say to you many people in department are involved, all very senior one. Latok also said his boss now very not happy. Latok say his big boss is still trying to clear the KL case and this happen and you little shit want to talk!!! You know how much money involved or not?? You small fish you don’t know!!�“I tell you what, I don’t care what you do, kill yourself if you have to but Latok said his boys will make sure your wife and kids taste the acid very soon!!! You wait and see!!!!!�With that last remark the man then stormed up of the room, without taking another look at him.He looked outside the window, the sky was cloudy and perhaps, just perhaps the window is big enough…?He felt that a powerful invisible force was pushing him and pulling him towards the window. He thought of his wife and children and they day they went to KFC, life was good then. “I will protect them and this is how….�He was only 31…*************The Latok was still smiling in the picture, next to him was Tan Sri, both faces soaked in the warm blood. They will sleep well tonight? Only they know.“BAGUS!!! BAGUS!!� said the man at the other end of the phone with his husky voice. One could almost see his devilish smile.*****************First the police then the ambulance, arriving at the scene already crowded with the locals. There was a lot of blood. Still warm.The blood painted the newspaper, which was placed by a kind-hearted Akep passing by to cover the body, red as if the blood, STILL WARM, was being greedily sucked by the well dressed gentlemen in the big photo at the centre of the newspaper. Some “audience� murmured among themselves, pointing at the photo now as red as red can be “Eh, can see or not, that face looks like Tan Sri hah? That one, the one standing in the middle, yalah, it’s Tan Sri�“Look so different la, all white hair now red� said anotherNext to the all-important Tan Sri was the Latok, with his gleaming smile.Is this a coincidence - or perhaps a damning yet silent indictment from the lifeless?The protruding hand appeared to have been slit – could it be double suicide?Moments later, the family arrived. The children stood there, looking on, almost void of any emotion - too young to feel the gravity of this event that will change their lives forever.The wife went hysterical the moment she saw the body, as any wife would, holding him, jolting him and asking him “Why Bang, why??? Wake up!! WAKE UP!!!!� But to no avail.Some onlookers shook their heads and sighed. Some of his female colleagues wept. His other senior colleagues just looked on in silence, as if they were not surprised.A family destroyed, a life tragically cut short and why? For what?*********************“OK, look here, Latok want me to tell you, if you dare tell them about the operation, your wife, your kids, your family will be in big trouble!! YOU HEAR!!!! YOU FUCK!!�“You better shut up, remember the engineer few years ago?? Face kena acid?? You want be like him?? You want to be brave??? You go try lah!!!�“Latok already said the investigators can be dealt with at his level coz so many people involved in this operation, all the way to the top. To the TOP, you know what that mean or not?? Latok know people one, you don’t worry, he do it all the time but you MUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DON'T TALK!!!�“You very small fish only you know, you piece of shit!!! You think if you talk you will be let off and get all of us into trouble??!! You piece of shit!!!�He just kept quiet, scared, running out of option.“Latok want me to say to you many people in department are also involved, all very senior one. Latok also said his boss now very not happy. Latok say his big boss is still trying to clear the KL case and now this happen and you little shit want to talk!!! You know how much money involved or not?? You small fish you don’t know!!�“I tell you what, I don’t care what you do, kill yourself if you have to but Latok said his boys will make sure your wife and kids taste the acid very soon!!! You wait and see!!!!!�With that last remark the man then stormed out of the room, without taking another look at him.He looked outside the window, the sky was cloudy and perhaps, just perhaps the window is big enough…?He felt that a powerful invisible force is pushing him and pulling him towards the window. He thought of his wife and children and the day they went to KFC, life was good then. I will protect them and this is how….*************The Latok was still smiling in the picture, next to him was Tan Sri, both faces soaked in the warm blood. They will sleep well tonight? Only they know.