Invest more in science than religion for nation’s sake

Photograph: Geralt/Pixabay

The development of science is an essential effort to prevent a recurrence of what we are going through now, WH Cheng writes.

Malaysians and the government must learn a bitter lesson today. The coronavirus is spreading like nobody’s business and taking more lives away. Some say it is the will of God, but it is not.

It is because we were lacking in action. So too the government in the beginning. The slow response and lack of counter measures to curb the spread of this coronavirus made things worse for the entire nation.

Some will be wondering why the coronavirus is spreading at rocket speed.

First, our nation’s government machinery was not serious about curbing this virus from the beginning. Much politicking took place in the political scene. And the nation then experienced a long period without a government – which made things worse for everyone. The administration came to a complete standstill following a coup, which toppled the previous government.

Religious matters have been another big issue in the daily affairs of the state with each trying to outdo the other by claiming to be more religious. One side claims its kind of religious undertaking is purer while the other claims its kind of religious practice is greater. Almost every day, many issues have been turned into religious issues to gain public support. Some were non-issues, but they were still manipulated for political reasons.

Our nation’s politicians have been firefighting daily because religion is a hot topic. So they have less time for practical things.

Because of this, our nation has lost focus and neglected science and the development of our nation through scientific experiment and development; many were carried away by religion.

Our nation has invested and relied too much on religion instead developing science to propel the nation forward. Our nation was looking at Vision 2020, but we did not really move towards it because religious matters were manipulated in our daily affairs especially in terms of how our nation should be governed.

And here we are now. Life after life has gone. Daily we see the new sick check in, diagnosed of Covid-19. In the end, the movement control order had to be imposed on the entire nation, and the entire nation’s economic activities came to a halt. Losses are being calculated, and they are mounting.

Bankruptcies and closures of businesses can be expected soon, and unemployment is expected to rise.

What did the government offer? This stimulus package, that package, speech after speech and confused statements. All these stimulus packages came too late. The economy is going down, the death toll is rising, people are getting miserable in their lives, zombie towns and cities are in the making, with more red zones declared

The impact has definitely endangered our nation, and the government is not even certain if it can survive for the next couple of years.

We must learn a most important lesson today. We must be practical in our daily activities. The development of science is an essential effort to prevent a recurrence of what we are going through now.

More investments should be focused on science instead of religion. We must strive for continuous change and development and analyse what should be improved and developed to face the future.

Religion must remain in the household and be treated as a personal obligation. The state and its institutions, for their part, must focus more on science and its development to improve the wellbeing of the people and the nation as a whole.

Source: g-socialaffairs.blogspot.com