Respect for life.

IN THE 1980s, singer Sanisah Huri sang Baju Hijau, wishing our soldiers well but cautioning them, "peluru tak bermata, harus waspada" - bullets have no eyes and know not foe or friend, so be careful. The caution was to save our soldiers getting killed, but it could just as easily have been to caution that the shots one fires can kill anyone. And indeed, the killing of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah at the hands of the police has generated immense public outrage and sadness. It has resulted in the people baying for blood and justice, and the authorities promising a full, fair and transparent investigation.

But the issue at hand is not how a baby-faced 15-year-old was gunned …