KUALA LUMPUR: As the curtain falls on 2022, theSun looks back at a year filled with trials, tribulations, jubilance and grief. From the uncertainties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic to the nail-biting 15th general election (GE15) and the Batang Kali landslide tragedy, the year was certainly not short of challenges.
Below are just some of the main highlights of the year.
In January, the National Disaster Management Agency reported 12 landslides, including 10 in Kuala Lumpur and one each in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
However, there was good news for travellers as quarantine upon arrival was dropped for those fully vaccinated against Covid-19, but they were still required to take RTK Antigen tests at international checkpoints.
Those who had not completed their vaccinations or were not vaccinated needed to undergo a seven-day quarantine on arrival in the country and take a Covid-19 detection test.
In February, nearly 98,000 children aged between five and 11 years were given the first dose of the vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children, which was launched on Feb 3.
In March, Malaysians were evacuated from Ukraine after that country and Russia went to war.
The Immigration Department prepared 970,000 passports for renewal following the reopening of the country’s borders on April 1.
Malaysia and Singapore agreed to reopen their land borders for fully vaccinated travellers from April 1, without the need to take Covid-19 pre-departure and arrival tests or be quarantined. Sabah and Sarawak also reopened their international borders after more than two years.
A memorandum of understanding on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian domestic helpers was inked by Malaysia and Indonesia.
Malaysian Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who had learning disabilities and an IQ of just 69, was convicted of trafficking 42.7g of heroin in 2010. Although the case attracted global attention, he was executed in Singapore’s Changi prison despite last-ditch efforts by his mother for leniency.
In May, several roads in Kuala Lumpur were inundated by flash floods following non-stop rain. Netizens took to social media to share videos and images of their areas.
In the same month, people were dismayed when the prices of favourites such as teh tarik and roti canai rose by 10-15%. The new price of roti canai hit RM2.20 while a glass of teh tarik ranged between RM1.80 and RM2.50.
In June, at the launch of the first phase of the Putrajaya MRT line, former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced free fares for all RapidKL public transport passengers for a month.
In July, the Kuala Lumpur High Court postponed to Sept 1, the verdict in the solar power corruption case of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In the same month, the Attorney-General’s Chambers denied allegations that it had nullified Najib’s SRC International trial proceedings.
And, in a landmark vote, the Dewan Rakyat passed the anti-party hopping law with a two-thirds majority.
In August, the Federal Court affirmed Najib’s conviction and sentence in the SRC International case. With the decision, he became the first ex-prime minister in Malaysian history to be jailed. The Prisons Department also denied social media comments that he was being given special treatment at Kajang Prison.
The RM9 billion Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) scandal about a contract awarded to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) for six LCS as part of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s fleet renewal plan caught the attention of the nation.
Signed in July 2014, BNS was to build the ships with the help of French naval company DCNS, beginning in 2015. The first vessel was supposed to be delivered by April 2019, and the remaining were to be handed over in six-month intervals until 2023. But eight years on, none of the ships had been delivered to the navy.
In September, Rosmah was sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined RM970 million after being found guilty of corruption in connection with the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project. The fine was the highest imposed by a court in the nation’s history.
Also having their day in court was Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, who were ordered to enter their defence on three charges of corruption amounting to RM2.8 million in unit trust investments.
September also saw the demise of former MIC president and long-time minister Tun S. Samy Vellu. He was 86. His death was announced by MIC veteran Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was freed by the Shah Alam High Court of all 40 graft charges in the foreign visa system case. High Court judge Justice Mohd Yazid Mustafa held that the prosecution had not succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against him.
In October, Ismail Sabri dissolved the 14th Parliament, paving the way for GE15.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad questioned why no investigation was launched against ex-attorney general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali over his handling of the 1MDB scandal, and contrasted the case with that of Najib’s. The latter is serving jail time for his involvement in a multi-billion ringgit corruption scandal.
The High Court dismissed Najib’s legal challenge over the Prisons Department’s refusal to allow his request to attend Dewan Rakyat proceedings.
Also, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was ordered to enter his defence on charges of abetting in criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of assets and money laundering. Judicial Commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid said the prosecution had proven its case beyond doubt.
In November, the Kuala Lumpur High Court fixed Jan 30 next year to decide whether Najib and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy would be acquitted or ordered to enter their defence on an audit tampering case.
Sixteen stations on the Kelana Jaya LRT line, which caters to over 300,000 passengers daily, were shut down from Nov 8-13 due to problems with the automatic train control system.
It was also in November that GE15 resulted in a hung Parliament, with Pakatan Harapan winning 81 seats and Perikatan Nasional 74. After several days of uncertainty, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was appointed Malaysia’s 10th prime minister. Immediately, the ringgit and Bursa Malaysia strengthened on news of his appointment.
The final month of the year saw the landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor, which killed 31 adults and children while 61 others were rescued. It took nine days for all the bodies to be recovered, thanks in large part to a K9 unit that worked day and night to the point of exhaustion as they found one victim after another.
After a voice vote in the first parliamentary sitting, Anwar won a vote of confidence and was confirmed as prime minister. This opened up a new chapter in the nation’s history, with Malaysians celebrating the dawn of political stability. Many foreign leaders expressed confidence and willingness to work with the new government.
