KUCHING: Amidst the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic which affected the health and economy of the world, therein lies hope, said Federation of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee.
“In own personal experience, I have met and encountered many generous persons who are willing to come forward and volunteer their time, money and resources in this time of need.
“All of them have demonstrated that we are truly united as Sarawakians,” he said when reflecting upon the year.
Wee pointed out that this year had started off with a lot of hopes and wishes. “It was supposed to be a significant year for Malaysians as we look at how far we have come with Vision 2020.”
However, he said the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic had dashed these new hopes and expectations.
“Today, while we are adjusting to the new normal and following the strict regulations implemented by the government, we are still going through these difficult and challenging times as experienced around the world.”
Wee said as a result of the pandemic, many people had become more conscious about better hygiene and healthier habits and this was seen across the board in all business sectors, especially in food and entertainment outlets where the standard operating procedures had been put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community.
“If we continue to develop this attitude and it becomes our normal way of life, we can see that something good will definitely come out of this unprecedented crisis for all of us,” he added.
On a more sombre note, he said many friends and family members had contracted the virus, with some even passing away.
“It was a surreal experience and it shows that this virus is everywhere and does not differentiate among colour, creed or race.”
In terms of politics, he pointed out that Malaysia had fallen into a political crisis yet to be fully resolved. He said there was much confusion in the changing of governments, with chaos erupting at the political front with all the manoeuvring from political parties and factions.
Wee said the waves of political instability still caused ripples across the nation today.
“Such an unstable scenario does not augur well for Malaysia’s economic recovery. I hope that all politicians from different sides of the divide can stand together for the greater good of Malaysia and Sarawak instead of politicising the crisis and playing the blame game, which will not yield anything positive for anyone.”
He stressed that in these unprecedented times, focus must be given to managing health matters and trying to stabilise the nation’s economy.
At the same time, he congratulated the state government for doing well so far in the overall control on the health front.
