16 September 1963, was a historical day where people originated from various backgrounds came together and fought for the establishment of Malaysia. The success of Malaysia has always been led by a myriad of cultural and races since the beginning, which results us to be so diverse till date. Generations after generations, the events of mix racial marriages, intertwined of languages, the creation of “Manglish” and the exchange of respect and understanding between races have led us to become so united and unique. Sadly, as time goes by, the society became very achievement driven which results materialistic and inhumane behaviours in Malaysia.
At the end of 2019, no one in the world has ever anticipated an outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This infectious virus has done grievous damage to both physically and mentally to every mundane on Earth.
Previously, the first time I heard about the news was 1 week away from sitting for my Peperiksaan Semester Program Matrikulasi (PSPM), dating the first Covid case ever recorded in Malaysia. It was havoc. Being Malaysia first time experiencing such taunting outbreak, all Malaysian was in panic! I remember reading the news online where grocery stores in shopping malls, Tesco, Giant and Econsave were flooded with citizens “panic buying”, pushing each others shoulders, loading their trolleys tins after tins of canned food and other excess necessities, fighting like starved animals, worried to fell victim to a “zombie apocalypse”. The image and videos captured on the news were the exact replica of the scenes you watch on ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘World War Z’. It was extremely scary! I suddenly saw Malaysia falling apart in front of my eyes.
Where did the harmony between people go?
Where was the trust we had within each other?
It was all gone.
Malaysia has been under more than one and a half years of many forms of implemented Covid-19 lockdowns. More than 300,000 people have lost their employment in the retail industry alone, with 30% of stores closing permanently. If the lockdown is extended, it is expected that 50% of those who remain will close their businesses. Hotels, tourism, and the food and beverage (F&B) industries have all been battered. The Ministry of Education also revealed that a total of 1,517 students from all across the country has lost either one or both of their parents to Covid-19.
According to a YouGov poll conducted in 2020, 92% of respondents were concerned about losing their jobs. Domestic violence and child sexual abuse reports have risen dramatically, as have suicide rates. There were 468 suicides cases between January and May 2021, when the country entered MCO 3.0, this equates to three suicides every day.
Thankfully, as kind-hearted Malaysian as we are, the “White Flag Movement” (#BenderaPutih) was initiated. It all started when a group of youth in Kuantan initiated the effort after a close friend of theirs committed suicide as a result of serious financial troubles. They recognised similar challenges by others around them and began the project as a Facebook comment and poster. The movement exploded in popularity. Their poster was adapted and became a social media sensation! Malaysians urged those who were suffering to overcome social stigma and put up their white flags to receive support from NGOs and neighbors around them.
This movement aided countless lower-income families and special care homes for elderlies and orphans. Personally, I find it so touching for us to finally find our long lost empathy towards each other prioritizing to help those in need regardless of our races. This is what makes a true Malaysian.
Many food banks were also institutionalized to help different categories of citizens such as Yayasan Food Bank, Kechara Soup Kitchen, Food Aid Foundation, The Lost Food Project, Cheka Movement Malaysia, Hunger Hurts and so many more! Another young group has taken it a step further by launching Sambal SOS, an internet app that collects and maps information on persons in need of assistance as well as the locations of local food banks.
Food banks and free meals offerings popped up all across the country, with tables of cooked food or dry packaged items placed outside of their shops. One day when I was on the way back my home, I personally saw these set up at 99 Speedmart storefronts and Shell gas stations for those in need. As they quickly emptied, others rushed out to refill the tables and shelves. After witnessing that, a though popped up in my head, “How more Malaysian can we be? This is so impressive!”.
What really defined an inclusive and united pandemic-era of Malaysia are via the contributions and hard-work from all the front liners. The front liners have demonstrated empathy for one another, regardless of race or religion, which is something all of us should be inspired and appreciated. Without them, Malaysia would have been in a really terrible place right now, trust me.
In summary, Covid-19 did not tear us apart, instead was seen as a blessing. It aided in reinforcing the sense of oneness among the country’s multi-racial communities. It was a lesson for us, people were reminded that they needed to live together, to aid and respect one another, as opposed to before the pandemic began. Prior to the upcoming Malaysia Day, let’s celebrate the understanding, solidarity, racial, religious, regional, and social status disparities among ourselves where it did not prohibit us from living in peace and harmony in Malaysia.
The prevailing question is,
Do we need another common enemy or pandemic to reunite us? If so, how could we sustain this without the need of another crisis?
By: Viccentia Pachamuthu
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
Essay Title of the Month
- How to write an essay fast
- what is Essay Bot
- How to write good Review Essay
- How to write a 5 page essay
- How to write an interpretive essay
- How to write dialogue in an essay
- When revising an informative essay it is important to consider……….(what to be considered)
- Women empowerment essay
- How to get essay editing jobs and how lucrative it is?
- Essay vs Research paper
- The best way to grading an essay
- How to plan an essay writing/contest
- How to write marketing essay/ graphic essay/ technical essay/Opinion essay/informal essay/interpretive essay/photography essay/character essay (one paragraph each for these type of essay)
- Participants should write the essay in easy to understand language with deep research on a selected topic. The essay should be written in the participant’s own language with interesting facts.
- How to focus on writing an essay
- How to write creative writing essays
- What is essay proofreading service
- How to write a cover page for an essay
- What are the best font for essays
- How to start an essay agency and providing essay editing jobs
