PETALING JAYA: While the celebrations were muted, the spirit of Merdeka remains strong in the hearts of Malaysians.
The average Malaysian took comfort in the fact that despite the challenges, people are still ready to take the extra step to help others, even strangers.
Many engaged in activities at home rather than join the crowd in official Merdeka Day celebrations, while political leaders called for change to help the country recover from the worst crisis in its history.
As a nation, there is hope that a better future awaits, free of the health, economic and political crises that have plagued the country for the better part of the last two years.
For HR administration staff Anis Saedah Yahaya, Merdeka Day meant staying home and pottering around in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.
Videos of her culinary exploits have garnered more than 69,000 followers on TikTok and four times as many followers on Instagram.
Her effort has even created a second income for her. She has been collaborating with small and medium enterprises on social media.
The 29-year-old, known as Ciknis on social media, focuses on healthy cooking, an effort that began with her desire to shed the pounds.
“I do it to motivate myself to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I have managed to lose 53kg,” she said.
Anis feels that while the Merdeka Day celebrations had been quite low-key, she is thankful that Malaysians are still free to express themselves. “The Covid-19 pandemic has also pushed us to think out of the box just to survive,” she said.
Healthcare worker Dr Nureen Iman, 31, told theSun that although the battle against Covid-19 is far from over, she realised that the shared pain had been a unifying factor. “Many Malaysians have become kinder and more generous, regardless of race and religion,” she said.
She recounted an occasion when a man, who had just been discharged from the Covid-19 ward at the hospital, offered to drive a fellow patient 80km back to his home in Tanjung Karang.
“For many, the reality is painful, having lost loved ones to the virus. For them, life may now be unbearable,” she said.
Nureen noted that apart from job losses that have affected livelihoods, the political crisis had contributed to instability in the country.
“But hope is not lost. There must be light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “We will get through this. It’s just a matter of time.”
In their Merdeka Day messages, politicians called for better governance and more effective strategies to pull the country out of the current crises.
Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah proposed that a total of 14 parliamentary special select committees be set up to ensure oversight on government affairs and activities, a proposition that received the nod from 55 other MPs, including Tuaran representative Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.
Chin said findings from the committees would help MPs make more informed decisions and therefore, have a greater impact on policies and legislation.
“It puts people and evidence at the heart of decision-making. For example, when assessing poverty, does the multi-dimensional assessment include all essential factors, or has it left out key factors such as childcare? Does it allow gender-sensitive scrutiny that assesses inequalities faced by women?” she asked.
Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming gave himself a list of 10 Merdeka “action plans” that he promised to realise before the end of the year.
Among others, he pledged to work with the relevant authorities at the federal and state levels to ensure those who do not have access to vaccination centres are served by mobile units.
He also plans to help residents in his constituency, particularly those in the B40 group, secure jobs.
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