somebody.

The things that touch my heart include things which on the face of it, look mean and inhumane, yet somebody's got to do it.

On my way back home from work yesterday, there was an unusual traffic at the Taman Tun Pizza Hut entrance. Not that it's not normally jammed up but yesterday was extra. There was a big DBKL truck on the road. "Perhaps there for one of their raid sessions", I thought.

Driving past that truck, I saw that they had confiscated a particular vendor's whole shop; her table, her utensils and even the steaming hot food on it. I know because I saw them opening the big food containers and out came steam from them. She has been there for as long as I can remember. I bet she sells good food since people keep going back to her.

As I drive further, I saw the enforcement officers inspecting a motorcycle belonging to an uncle who I know sells putu mayam. For a brief moment, I saw a brief exchange of words and the next thing I know, the motorcycle along with the putu mayam was being brought to the back of the lorry to be confiscated.

I had bile in my throat, though I know that I had no reason to be overly emotional about anything.

I know that I cannot be angry at the enforcement officers. We (the society) are the ones who are always wondering what it is that they are doing; whether or not they are actually deserving of the pay they draw.

And yet, at the same time, I wish I was not there to witness such activity. I keep wondering what the lady would do without her fair share of yesterday's pay. I wonder how the uncle finally got back home, and what his family's reaction would be towards the lost of their source of income.

This is of course, on the assumption that both their activities are the main sources of their household income.

I don't think I can ever become an enforcement officer. I do not have the heart for it. And worst still, it's the type of job where you can't say anything but, "Somebody's got to do it".

And I don't want to be that somebody.