Malaysia has been through a very rocky 2022. Many events have shaken the nation as a whole but I believe we, as a nation have emerged stronger as the year comes to a close. In a few hours, we will be welcoming the new year, 2023. It is a good time to reflect, give thanks for all the positive things that have happened as well as ponder over mistakes made and lessons learnt.
After two years of Covid 19 restrictions, in April 2022, our government declared that the country had entered the endemic stage. Various restrictions were lifted and life slowly became more normal. I remember the struggle the men had when there was the restriction of one person per vehicle. Many men found themselves struggling to stand in for their wives who do not drive and do grocery shopping. I recall an uncle asking me for help, checking with me if he was getting the right vegetables given on his list. With that kind of scenario, quite a few supermarkets actually engaged ‘personal shoppers’ for those who needed help. Well, I guess many men now who had struggled to pick up the correct things in their given shopping lists are now more knowledgeable and confident in picking up vegetables, fruits, meat and groceries for their families.
Then our 15th General Election (GE15) was held on 19th November, months before the expected date. After a divisive, tightly-contested general election, no party managed to get a simple majority. For the first time in its political history, Malaysia was faced with a hung parliament for about 4 days before the government was officially formed. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was then appointed the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia. A coalition of parties, comprising several main blocs as well as parties from opposing sides formed our new government. As such, Fadillah Yusof became the first Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) to be appointed from the Borneo state. With this inclusion, we all can be more hopeful for a better Malaysia.
Then unexpectedly, Malaysia was thrown into a period of grief as the Batang Kali landslide which occurred on 16 December, claimed 31 lives. According to the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), this is Malaysia's second worst disaster in terms of fatalities, after the Highland Towers condominium collapse in 1993 which claimed 48 lives (NST). I am truly proud of the resilience shown by our Search And Rescue Team. I am also glad that many bereaved families are moving on.
As 2022 comes to a close, let us as a national endeavour always be united and strong to face 2023. Malaysia is undeniably a unique nation blessed with diverse people groups, cultures and beliefs. Each group has its unique strength and talents that can build this nation. Let us together make Malaysia better. It will always be, ‘Kita Boleh! Malaysia Boleh!’ (We Can! Malaysia Can!)
Wishing all my fellow Malaysians, “A Happy and Fruitful 2023!”
By Mei Wong
Mei Wong is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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