November 12, 2004

Raising awareness in Dispute Resolution

A critical component of a governance system is the dispute resolution component. Some would say that it is the apex on which the rest of the inverted pyramid totters. Yet, most people don't know it exists, until they find out to the displeasure.

I've often wondered how to raise the profile of this key component, and here's an answer: sue your mum for a broken promise. Educationally speaking, I can only applaud Mum for engaging in this delicate lesson.

Here's what the Daily Star, a Malasian paper, reported:

Schoolboy sues mom for not buying him a PC

HONG KONG: An 11-year-old boy in central China took his mother to court for breaking a promise to buy him a computer if he did well at school, a news report said last Monday.

The woman told her son she would buy him a computer if he scored average marks of more than 94% for his school work, the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily reported.

However, she welshed on the deal when he achieved an average of 97%, telling him she could not afford to buy the computer, the newspaper said.

The schoolboy from Xingzheng, Henan province, then went to court asking a judge to make his mother honour the verbal agreement. At the hearing, the judge reconciled the mother and son.

According to the newspaper, the boy gained his knowledge of law after helping his parents with their small business.

See also a similar report in The Register

Posted by iang at November 12, 2004 09:28 AM | TrackBack
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