Daily Express, Kota Kinabalu, 16 December 2002

Hardly any takers for symbol of discipline

Kota Kinabalu: The cane, a symbol of discipline, was aplenty at the Gaya Street Fair in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday but takers were almost nil. Each was priced at 50 sen.

The vendor, identified only as Chin, lamented that he wasn't making a brisk business.

He was helping his father, a rattan dealer who collects the raw material from a remote area.

Even the very few who bought the canes said they were going to use them to beat their dogs or as a standby weapon against snakes. Some parents merely tried to get a feel of the stick within sight of their children but didn't buy any.

The scenario is open to interpretation. Does it mean that today's parents are more lenient?

Are they sparing the rod and spoiling their children? Perhaps they adopt less harsh methods of disciplining their kids. In fact, in most schools, the use of the cane has been on the wane.

Photo [Not available -- C.F.] shows a young mother picking up a cane from the stall and saying playfully to her child, "Mummy will beat you if you are naughty."