Emilia
Time: 2.39 am, Monday

I’m in my room in the university, it’s raining cats and dogs and I could hardly sleep as I find this is a peaceful moment for meditation, with the song of Emilia by KRU adds to the ambience. I was standing by the window few seconds ago, my eyes were searching wildly for the most perfect spot in the starless sky, but to no avail as the dark clouds covered the shy, yellow moon. My room now is silhouetted only by the orange light from the table lamp which I brought from home, while the sound of the spinning fan indicates how solitary and quiet my room is tonight. Out of the blue, I could see the flashing light of a thunder followed by yet another screaming from the sky above. From my room, I could see a stretching road across, the newly tar covered en route to Broga with the unlit streetlight along it. It has been nearly a month since I studied here but I’m still wondering when will the street lights lit the darkness along the road, only being lit by the cars passing by in a ratio of 1 in 15 minutes, based on my zero intention observation when I draw the curtains at the window every single day. My train of thoughts is telling me right now; this is a problem of a public good; in this real case application it is the street lights. Now I know how the characteristics of a public good which are non excludability and non rivalry in consumption leads to the ongoing problem of free rider and as a result, the dilemma of waiting for someone who is aware of the responsibility to allocate the electricity for the street lights for the benefit of the society. Who is responsible? The developer of this area, the state government of Selangor, or the administration of University of Nottingham M’sia Campus? In life, people used to say it is best to ‘give and take’ but at times in life there are things that need to be ‘given’ even though there is nothing to be ‘taken’ for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the society. Besides, the theory of profit maximisation when marginal cost of producing something equals to marginal revenue from producing it only relevant to certain industries but definitely it is irrelevant in this case. What is the most important thing is our contribution to the society, in terms of the safety of the motorists who use this unlit road as their sole canal to the city as well as to prevent crime from happening on this road by those who close their mind and eyes in order to distinguish simple choices; what is good and what is bad.

Let us be a starter, don’t wait for the sun to rise nor for the day to come.

As my bed beckons me, I bid goodnight with the hope for some ray of lights to light the darkness as tomorrow night comes.