Imagine being a parent and telling your child when he or she is old enough that you had front row seats to one of the most destructive global pandemics in the 21st century. This conversation will be a reality for many of us.
As at June 14, Malaysia had 8,453 positive cases of Covid-19. The movement control order (MCO) in place for about three months has been our bulwark against the virus. But Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has said we will be in a “recovery” MCO phase until Aug 31. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah even announced that there won’t be any more daily Covid-19 updates from now on. Slowly but surely, Malaysia, and the world, is opening up. Businesses are resuming at a cautious pace. There is talk of border restrictions being lifted between Malaysia and Singapore.
In and of itself, yes, the virus has been deadly globally, but it also unleashed a plethora of other issues here. Namely, the treatment of refugees and migrant workers, which shouldn’t only get the spotlight during a global pandemic. And then there is the sharing of unverified information, or fake news.
During trying times like these it is all the more imperative that information is accurate. To date, Malaysian police have opened 266 investigation papers on fake news related to the pandemic. Even Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob – the man tasked with giving daily briefings on the crisis – has become part of an allegation. A post on social media claimed that he did not welcome Singaporeans into Malaysia (he has lodged a police report on the matter).
Around the world, we are seeing a resurgent Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, although his death was preceded by those of several other African Americans. Braving the risk of infection, protesters are clamouring for greater police accountability and racial equality in the American criminal justice system. The effects of BLM were even felt here when the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation distanced itself from the 2017 Miss Universe winner after she remarked that African Americans “chose to be born as coloured (people) in America”.
The point of recounting the lowlights is not the lowlights themselves. These lowlights are merely proxies for discussions that we should have been having a long time ago. Covid-19 put a hiatus on discussions about Malaysia’s political future; they have resurfaced now, with the big question mark of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accounting for a sizeable area of that surface.
Going forward, what do Malaysians want? What matters to us? A few concerns may come to mind: the treatment of migrant workers, the capabilities of our health infrastructure, and how we treat Malaysians or residents who are different from us. That includes Africans living in Malaysia, who are rarely talked about.
At the micro level, 2020 will provide us a huge repertoire for reflection. The things that we took for granted, even travelling, are now luxuries even for the wealthy. A pilgrimage to the supermarket is about as good as it gets in the Covid-19 age.
This is not the first time in human history the world has been hit with a pandemic, but it is the first time those of us living in this era have experienced a disease on a scale like this. Surely Covid-19 will re-orient our priorities, regardless of whether we are swept by a second wave of infection in the future.
The year so far has exposed debates that hit home for almost everyone worldwide. Locally, no matter the level of politicking, Malaysians will want a government that can not only weather a health storm but also put the interests of Malaysians, especially the marginalised, above the short-term goals of politicians.
The Covid-19 storm may soon be subsiding – one can only hope. Another storm may be brewing, one of demands for greater political acumen when it is so needed today.
ANN
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.