KUALA LUMPUR: Singer Datuk Zainalabidin was in tears when he heard of the tragic death of young S. Sathiswaran who was killed by a falling chair last Monday.
Moved by the tragedy, he paid a visit to the 15-year-old's grieving family at their home in the Seri Pantai People's Housing Project (PPR), Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur the following day.
"I was devastated to hear of Sathiswaran's death. I may not have known him, but it was so tragic, senseless and cruel that I felt compelled to comfort his mother and relatives," said Zainalabidin to the New Straits Times today.
"Nothing hurts a parent more than having to attend her child's funeral, especially when his death came suddenly before her eyes, as a result of selfish and irresponsible people."
Zainalabidin also said that Sathiswaran's mother M. S. Kasthuribai, 44, told him it was time for the authorities to start public campaigns against throwing objects down from high-rise buildings.
"I'm fully with her on this, and in fact it should have been done long ago. It's not the first time - over the last 20 years I've read in the newspapers about people getting hurt by bottles, containers and chopping boards thrown down from the upper floors of flats," he said.
Zainalabidin has seen only one public service announcement on television highlighting the consequences of throwing objects down from buildings a decade ago. He felt it was not sufficient to create awareness of the grave danger posed to pedestrians.
"We should learn from Hong Kong which has been running a hard-hitting campaign for the last 30 years, and it has created widespread awareness amongst citizens," he said, adding that it highlighted real tragedies which shocked and saddened viewers.
"The authorities should also make sure pedestrian walkways outside high-rise flats have roofs to protect visitors and residents from falling objects."
Sathiswaran, a Form Three student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan La Salle in Petaling Jaya was struck by an office chair, believed to have been thrown from one of the upper floors of the housing project at 8.30pm. He and Kasthuribai had returned home from grocery shopping.
Police initially classified the case under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence, but it was later reclassified under Section 302 for murder.