After several tumultuous years filled with political instability, economic struggles, along with the Coronavirus pandemic, Malaysians may feel more isolated and divided now more than ever. Perhaps now would be a good time to look back at several moments that helped unite and bring us together. Here are 5 of my favourite ones:
1. Pokemon Uncle
To those familiar with the Damansara Uptown area, you may be familiar with David Christopher, also known as “Uncle Pokémon”. He was a vendor in the area that sold a bunch of soft toys, at an affordable price. He gained mainstream attention after a customer bailed on him after ordering over 250 soft toys. A blogger decided to share his unfortunate situation with netizens, which then led to Malaysians coming to the rescue and subsequently helping Uncle Pokémon to continue to remain in business.
Unfortunately, “Uncle Pokémon” passed away in 2020, a quote from a post explained his situation a little more, “Uncle passed away due to lung infection complications, He fell down the stairs while selling soft toys back in December, couldn’t walk after that. His health slowly worsened to how it is now.”
His untimely demise brought many back together, with people sharing their experiences shopping with him.
I remember bought 1 from him in 2018. It was heavily rain so the uncle refused to sell it to me since the toys soaked but i insist to buy and ask him to put it in a plastic bag so that i can wash it later at home.
RIP uncle. pic.twitter.com/ImtR22ra1e
May “Uncle Pokémon” rest in peace with his many Pokémon friends he accompanied on those rainy days.
2. Uncle Kentang
Malaysia’s very own philanthropist, Kuan Chee Heng, more fondly known as Uncle Kentang, is the 57-year-old founder of Community Policing Malaysia (CPM), an NGO that is dedicated to helping vulnerable members of society and keeping the community safe by mobilizing regular citizens to work hand-in-hand with local police. During a food distribution campaign, Kuan received the name Uncle Kentang when he started giving out potatoes in place of rice.
Kuan has dedicated his time and efforts to helping the needy and less fortunate, one such measure was ‘10 Sen Pasar’. Kuan organised a pre-loved donation drive where members of the public can give away their pre-loved goods and the poor can buy any of the items for RM0.10 each. Kuan followed that up with an RM0.10 taxi service for the urban poor families who needed help getting to the hospital for medical appointments. Kuan also started the RM0.10 library as a daycare centre where parents can drop their children off when they need to go for medical appointments. There is also an RM1 hearse service and an ambulance service for those in desperate situations.
His story has inspired many others, from his humble beginnings to his current day-to-day efforts in helping Malaysians survive their hardships. He managed to show Malaysians that if we were to come together and unite as one, we’d be able to achieve more than we expect. WikiImpact has a great article covering Uncle Kentang and his story.
3. Ola Bola
Spoilers ahead for those that have not seen the movie!
Ola Bola was a Malaysian film that hit our screens back in 2016, directed by Chiu Keng Guan, the movie is a dramatic retelling of the Malaysian national football team and their hardships throughout their attempt at qualifying for the 1980 Summer Olympics.
The film shows the difficulties the team had faced, with players from differing backgrounds, races, and cultures all having to work together to achieve the same goal, tempers were bound to flare up. Despite all that, the team rallied around each other and put their differences aside, as they had the weight of an entire country on their shoulders.
As underdogs, the Malaysian national team had to overcome players and teams that were leagues ahead talent-wise, but through hard work, determination and ultimately, teamwork, they were able to overcome all the odds and successfully qualified for the Olympics. However, the team weren’t able to attend the competition due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott.
The film, however, successfully ignited a flame in Malaysians, showing what collective love and understanding of our fellow countrymen could do, not only for ourselves but for the country we call home.
4. 2021 Floods
Back in 2021, several areas in Malaysia experienced severe flooding after several days of heavy downpours of rain. Properties and vehicles were wrecked, people were stranded, missing, and found deceased, along with tens of thousands of people were displaced as a result.
One such area affected was Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam. Residents were caught out by the unusually heavy rain and subsequently massive flooding throughout the neighbourhood. Houses were submerged in about 10 feet of floodwater, with no electricity or water supply. Despite the grim situation, Malaysians were quick to come together and assist with the situation.
Malaysian volunteers from all over came together to offer their assistance via donations, drones for search & rescue, flood cleanup, and much more.
The unity and effort demonstrated helped many persevere and get through such a horrific disaster, one which affected many who were undeserving.
5. Lee Chong Wei @ Olympic 2016 Finals
Datuk Lee Chong Wei, one of the greatest badminton players of all time, playing in the 3rd Olympics finals of his career, beating his lifelong nemesis Lin Dan in the semifinals to book his spot in the biggest match of the tournament, it seemed like it was primed for Chong Wei to finally win his first Olympic Gold medal.
I remember queueing and fighting for a spot at a mamak just to catch the finals match, people were sardined amongst each other, and some even carried Malaysian flags with them. I recall mamak workers trying their best to provide everyone with tables, extending as far as the roads would allow, with many ending up having to remain on their feet throughout the night. But my fondest memories were of the crowd and the electric atmosphere that came with it, as Chong Wei and Chen Long made their way to the court, the crowd started applauding and cheering with great pride.
Then came the match, with every rally cheers could be heard for each that he won, and a huge sigh every time he didn’t. The match went on to 2 close sets, with Chong Wei losing both 21-18. Despite the disappointment, I recall people continue to cheer whenever the camera panned over to him, as well as during the podium ceremony.
Malaysians then took to social media to send words of encouragement to Chong Wei, with some even joking they were sadder in the fact that the following day would not be a public holiday due to the results.
It’s great to see how big sporting events like the Olympics usually manage to unite Malaysians, often at spots such as mamaks no less!
There it is, my favourite moments from recent times that truly made me feel proud to call myself Malaysian. What are some of yours? Do share them in the comments, and please share this article with your loved ones for a bit of that nostalgia and spread that love for Malaysia.
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Aivn is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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