MY late mum, Low Ah Hup, often uttered this Chinese proverb in her Cantonese twang when describing something untoward that could spiral out of control: "Sai see thau chum, tai see thau kum."
It meant that if a child is allowed to steal needles, he or she may progress to stealing gold as an adult.
This brings to mind a lament by a national leader recently when he said it wasn't easy to curb corruption in Malaysia "because there are leakages everywhere and that corruption and power abuses have become systemic".
How did we allow this to happen over the years? Especially when crimes to the tune of hundreds of millions or even billions are quite rampant.
Certainly, our increasing Consumer Price Index didn't play a role in the bloated numbers.
Perhaps there had been lapses as the country pursued greater economic wealth and we allowed those behind stealing needles when young to "graduate" to nicking gold and other more valuable stuff when they became adults.
Can proper governance prevent or minimise wrongdoing?
This reminds me of something in another spectrum related to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), a statutory body responsible for regulating the communications and multimedia industry.
It remains steadfast in ensuring that things don't get out of hand and that bad apples using cyberspace to create disharmony are dealt with.
In doing its job, MCMC has upheld the interest of the general public at large despite some criticisms that it might have been a little heavy-handed at times.
The sheer volume and diversity of content on the Internet certainly make it difficult for any regulator. Regulators often struggle to keep up with the vast amount of user-generated content across various platforms.
The speed of information makes it challenging for regulators to respond quickly to harmful content. By the time a piece of content is identified and addressed, it might have reached a wide audience.
The global nature of the Internet also makes it hard for regulators to enforce laws and regulations consistently across different jurisdictions. What may be permissible in one country could be illegal in another.
And we've also the "baling batu sembunyi tangan" (throwing a stone and hiding the hand) types hiding behind anonymous or pseudonymous accounts.
MCMC, while acknowledging that freedom of speech is a fundamental right, takes the view that it's certainly not absolute, premised by certain limitations under Article 10(2) of the Federal Constitution, such as public order or morality, and restrictions designed to protect against defamation.
MCMC's stance is that while constructive criticism is acceptable, there are limits, especially when combined with a multitude of falsehoods, it could potentially constitute a violation of the law.
When viewed in the context of a democratic society, the liberty of both the accused and the victim of defamatory statements is crucial, and it's the law that ultimately determines justice.
One of the main provisions that's often considered when addressing the above is Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, for publishing false, offensive or menacing content with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.
The police also carry out investigations under certain provisions of the Penal Code, such as Section 499, which makes it an offence to publish imputations that will harm the reputation of any person, and Section 504, which makes it an offence to intentionally insult with intent to provoke any person to break public peace.
Balancing the regulation of harmful content with the protection of free speech and expression is not an easy task. Regulators must navigate between preventing harm (hate speech, misinformation) and upholding individuals' rights to freedom of expression.
And that's no walk in the park for any regulator in a multiethnic and multireligious society.
MCMC can do more to clearly communicate the criteria and standards used to assess content, and ensure that its decisions are impartial and in accordance with the law.
It has been vigorously promoting digital literacy and awareness through media-related organisations, like the National Press Club of Malaysia and Malaysian Press Institute to demonstrate what's responsible online behaviour.
No one is above the law, and that's clear as day.
The writer is a former Bernama chief executive officer and editor-in-chief