To what extent would you fight for your rights and beliefs?

How far would you fight for your rights and beliefs? It is a question that has been haunting me for weeks now.

I heard from a neighbour today that residents of another condo have given up making complaints to management because a person is marked when he makes a complaint and he would find his car scratched a few days later. This allegedly has happened enough times in that condo that residents have given up complaining and are living with the sorry condition of the condo management.

You would have read of the security lapses in my condo by now. It irks me no end that security guards are being laxed with those who drive into the condo without access cards; especially now that we have a spate of burglaries. The rule is, whether one is a resident or not, as long as you do not have an access card with you, you would have to register and surrender your IC or driving license at the security. It is a simple rule and it is the height of stupidity if one cannot follow such a simple rule.

A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed two cases where our security guards allowed two cars to enter without registering them. One entered through the visitor’s gate by the wave of a hand and the other used the same card twice (this is another grouse we have with management) to allow their guest to enter. I managed to take down both the car registration numbers and walked up to the guardhouse to complain. My parents were totally against me doing that. They fear that I would be harmed or my property would be harmed by my actions.

Which comes to my question of to what extent are we willing to fight for our rights and beliefs? If everyone stops complaining because of the possible unethical repercussions, would we not be living in fear? Eventually, the perpetrators will get bolder and bolder because they have no fear of repercussions from anyone. Our actions, or lack thereof, would be a signal to them that they could put the fear of god in us and that they could control us by such possible threats. How different would this be then from countries where the people are suppressed? The moment we allow our lives to be ruled by fear, we would be succumbing ourselves to repression.

Yet, my parents are also not wrong. When the threat of being hurt is there, is it not wiser to let sleeping dogs lie? I do not have an answer. But I know that I should not let fear stop me from doing what is right. What is left then is to ensure that everyone else within the community should not let fear stop them either.

I live in hope that if enough voices are heard; eventually our rights will be safe guarded. Naïve thinking? I hope not!