A man who was arrested for murder at the age of 17, and later sentenced to life in prison at time when his contemporaries would be sitting their secondary school exams, has just received his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University Malaysia.
The Malay Mail reports that 14 years in Kajang Prison for “Jim”, with no release date or parole, were no match to crush the man’s thirst for knowledge. Jim credits his family for encouraging him and helping fund his education while he is in prison. He is the oldest of five siblings.
Jim was pensive from the sidelines of his convocation ceremony yesterday. The prison allowed him to attend accompanied. At the age of 31 he had finally learned to control his emotions. He told reporters that he has accepted that society might view him as a convicted murderer, but that he was not ashamed of himself as a person today. He added that he wouldn’t let the views of others bring him down.
“When I was in prison, I realised that I could influence people instead of people influencing me. So, I started influencing people of my age, not only about education but also about morals and religion,” he said.
His transformation has caught the attention of Selangor and Federal Territories Prison director Darussalam Budin, telling the paper that Jim’s perseverance was proof that the prison system allowed inmates to learn self-control.
Jim is now looking towards pursuing a PhD and has applied for a royal pardon.
Not everyone has had such glowing reviews of Kajang Prison. After his 2013 jailing, P Uthayakumar had 100 days of horror stories, including a worn-down community toothbrush, lack of insulin for his diabetes and the need to beg for other prisoners to share basic amenities such as soap and towels.
However, Darussalam bizarrely commented that while on the outside, prisoners are faced with many distractions, while in prison, they are able to focus on their studies.
There you have it – Malaysian jails: bad place for a toothbrush, great place to learn more about comparative literature.
