CHOKING back tears, a mother waited and watched as the trucks carrying burnt bodies rolled into Kuala Lumpur Hospital mortuary.

Along with her, other mothers watched and waited for updates from media reports.

And with them, a nation, too, watched and waited for who to blame for the terrible fire that took the lives of 21 boys and two teachers this morning.

But it is too late to condemn the owners of Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah for not having the right fire and safety measures at their school.

It is too late to ask why the Fire and Rescue Department had not checked the school if it complied with safety regulations.

And it is also too late to ask the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council whether it did anything to stop the school from operating without the proper permits.

Twenty-three lives were lost today. And before this, 16 were lost in 2011 when a landslide buried Rumah Anak Yatim Hidayah.

And before that, 27 students died in Taufiqiah Al-Khairiah Madrasa in Kedah when a fire razed the school to the ground in 1989.

Because the truth is, we allowed this to take place over and over again.

We had watched as these schools and orphanages establish themselves in houses in our neighbourhoods without saying a word.

We looked on as they turned shoplots into hostels for children. We had given money to fund these operations.

And we did not object when we saw that there was one child too many packed into makeshift quarters that flouted safety rules.

We, as a nation that cares, had looked the other way despite these safety transgressions because it involved a sensitive subject.

We, who should know better, did not try hard enough to stop these places from operating when we knew it was dangerous. We turned a blind eye. The blame is as much as ours for keeping silent.

The recitals at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah have ended. With the mother, we, too, stand at the mortuary. If this nation is to be rid of such unnecessary loss of lives, we must resolve to speak up lest we add to the 23 graves dug today. – September 14, 2017.

* Note: Inspired by Gene Patterson’s “A flower for the graves”

* Chan is a journalist with The Malaysian Insight. You can follow him on Twitter.E-mail: [email protected]

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.