IN recent weeks, three countries have witnessed the tragic deaths of people close to their hearts. Here in Malaysia, two parliamentarians were killed in a helicopter crash on May 6.
In Orlando, Florida, the United States, people are still mourning for their loved ones who died in a mass shooting on June 12.
And, on June 16, Jo Cox, a British member of parliament in the Birstall constituency near Leeds, was stabbed and shot to death.
In a sense, these deaths have all been in vain, for had the victims survived, they would have gone on to do great things in their lives and for their countries.
But, seeing the deaths from a different perspective, these people’s passing has not left a vacuum. Instead, we are seeing people striving to gain spiritual upliftment from the tragedies.
In Malaysia, the results of the two by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar last Saturday saw Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition, winning by huge margins, beyond the expectation of many.
The victories were due to the hard work and legacies of the late MPs.
Indeed, the people’s confidence and trust in the government have been restored.
Looking forward to the general election to be held in 2018, the government has much to thank the people for their show of support and loyalty.
In the US, the mass shooting that resulted in 49 deaths at Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, has brought to the fore the raging debate on the gun issue.
People are asking how it is justifiable for Americans to have easy access to firearms all this while.
It seems that the killer had been able to buy weapons, despite his name being on Federal Bureau of Investigation alert lists.
The right to bear arms is sacrosanct and enshrined in the US Constitution.
The conversation on gun possession has divided the people and has become an issue of contention between the two presidential candidates, particularly in the matter of gun law reforms.
The conservative Republican Party has, for quite some time now, continued to thwart the Democratic Party’s intention to proceed with revising gun-ownership processes and compliance features.
Perhaps, after the senseless killings in Orlando, rationality will prevail among Americans who fear for their safety and reforms can be realised, despite the expected resistance from powerful gun lobby groups.
In the United Kingdom, the death of Cox has raised similar fears over gun access in the country.
For the record, the UK has one of the toughest gun laws among European Union nations.
People are now probably more conscious of the need for heightened security measures in light of such dangers and other security issues that pose a risk to the lives of elected representatives and other security officials.
Drawing on these tragedies, whatever our faith and calling, we certainly put much hope on the future of humanity, and forever will we be guided, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, by taqwa (God-consciousness) and the fear of Allah that is in us (Quran, Verse Al-aqarah).
DR AZHARI-KARIM,
Kuala Lumpur