Foster mother and child

I felt sad reading about the legal separation of the 10-year- old Zulu boy from his foster white mother (The Jakarta Post, May 6, 1996).

I believe the boy has been gravely wronged. Since 1992 he has lived on Britain with his foster mother, who wished to legally adopt him. The boy, in turn, longed to stay with his dear foster mother.

Life is never smooth - even for kids. After a protracted legal battle, the U.K. courts decreed to give custody of the boy to his natural parents in South Africa. Even the boy's moving appeal to Queen Elizabeth, requesting to stay with his white mother in the U.K. failed.

He was sent off to Johannesburg against his will.

The boy was brought into this world, not out of his choice. Why should he suffer this mental anguish at such a young age? Just because he was a minor, the courts must have ignored his heart-rending plea. Obviously, the law is "flawed".

The right course should have been to strike a compromise, whereby the South African parents obtained visiting rights to live with their son for a specified period every year.

Alternatively, the boy could spend his annual vacations with his natural parents in South Africa. In a spirit of goodwill, and give-and-take, a winners-all situation could have been secured.

Significantly, both the contending parties love the child. This is all the more reason to have found an acceptable solution, satisfying the boy's desires.

Laws are intended to protect and enhance human values -- more so, for innocent children. The British Common Law is based on established precedents. For all I know, this particular case may probably go down as a bad precedent.

D. CHANDRAMOULI

Jakarta