KUALA LUMPUR: A lawmaker shed tears while passionately debating the Supply Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.
Kamal Ashaari (PN-Kuala Krai) was about to end his speech when he implored his fellow MPs to speak from the heart, rather than just from the mind.
With visible emotion, he stressed the importance of empathy in decision-making, referencing common phrases that focus on the heart to illustrate its significance.
"There are many phrases related to our hearts, such as berhati-hati (be careful), sakit hati (upset), makan hati (offended).
"This shows how important our heart is in valuing and doing good," he said.
Kamal then urged the House to empathise with tragedies, such as the case of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's death and political aide the late Teo Beng Hock.
"If we can talk about a dog being shot at a place, how do we feel about the death of Adib, which is still unresolved?
"(In the case of) the late Teo Beng Hock, how long it has been that we are still waiting for the results of investigations?"
With his voice charged with emotion, he also highlighted the persistent issue of deaths in custody, asking lawmakers to put themselves in the shoes of grieving families.
"Imagine if we are the fathers or siblings of those who had died... When we place the heart as the arbitrator in our decisions, our struggles will be blessed," he said.
Kopi, a gentle stray dog in Terengganu, captured the hearts of millions through her playful antics with a kitten in a viral video in March.
However, she was shot dead on Oct 6 during an operation involving 25 officers in Terengganu’s Besut district.
Muhammad Adib died on Dec 17, 2018, three weeks after he was allegedly assaulted by a mob outside the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya.
On Sept 27, 2019, the Coroner's Court ruled that murder was the cause of Muhammad Adib's death.
Teoh, a former journalist turned aide to former Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, died after being held for questioning overnight at the then Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.
The family then sued the MACC and the government, which later admitted in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to negligence on their part resulting in Teoh’s death on May 12, 2015 and agreed to pay Teoh's family RM600,000 as a settlement.
In January 2022, his parents filed for a judicial review to compel the police to complete investigations into his 2009 death.
