Annus horibilis (Latin: horrible year) are two words that aptly describe 2014 which is now coming to a close.
For the country, the twin tragedies involving Malaysia Airlines' Flights MH 370 and MH 17, four months apart, must be the most significant for the country in decades. MH 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers/crew on board. A search for the missing plane is still ongoing in the remote waters of the Indian Ocean where the plane is assumed to have gone down. This assumption is based on complex number crunching from technical data that are available from satellite systems and the aircraft manufacturer.
On July 17, 2014, Flight MH 17, with 298 people on board, was shot down over war-torn Ukraine and to this day, it is still not known who the culprits are and whether this was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or something more sinister. All 298 people, of various nationalities, including Malaysians, perished.
In the sports arena, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, world's No. 1 badminton player, was embroiled in a doping scandal and he has been suspended. To this day, his fate is still unknown as he is waiting for BWF (Badminton World Federation) to convene a hearing. In the meantime, he has been replaced as World's No. 1 by China's Chen Long.
On the economic front, the Malaysian Ringgit's significant slide against the US Dollar has resulted in, among other things, more expensive imports. Malaysians are paying higher costs for food as most of our food is imported.
While lower oil prices resulted in the people paying less at the pump, the Government is bound to lose revenue as PETRONAS' earnings slide.
Mother Nature has also added to Malaysia's woes. The East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia is now inundated by serious flooding and more than 100,000 people have been displaced. It is the monsoon season and floods are the norm during the monsoon season but the flooding this year is the most serious in more than 30 years. The Prime Minister came under fire when he was pictured golfing with President Obama in Hawaii, where the latter was spending his Christmas holidays. When the flood became more serious the PM cut short his holidays and returned to Malaysia to personally direct relief efforts. In responding to critics, the PM defended his "golf diplomacy" saying it was difficult to turn down the invitation and plans had been made long before the floods began. He was also in touch daily with the DPM who was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing flood response operations. Whether or not this lapse in judgement would have an impact on his political career remains to be seen. It is akin to George Bush's perceived slow response to Hurricane Katrina which left a blot on his already tarnished legacy.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. Squash queen, Datuk Nicole David, made us proud to be Malaysians when she won the world title in 8 straight years, a hard-to-beat feat indeed!
Malaysia has returned to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after a 15-year absence with an absolute victory. Of the 192 votes cast at the UN General Assembly, 187 was in support of Malaysia's unopposed candidacy to represent the Asia Pacific region.
On the home front, mum's health took a turn for the worse. After a short bout of illness, she is no longer mobile and is wheelchair-bound. She cannot perform the basics of daily living and has to be cared for. I am grateful that my loyal maid (who has been with me for 20 years now) is still around to help as I would otherwise be helpless without her.
That about sums up the year that was....here's wishing everyone a happy new year and let us pray for peace and continued prosperity for our beloved Malaysia.
Postscript:
To add to the doom and gloom, it has just be reported that Air Asia Flight QZ8501, operated by Air Asia Indonesia, is now missing and SAR operations are ongoing. The plane was bound for Singapore from Surabaya and contact was lost while it was flying between Java and Kalimantan in reportedly bad weather. There are reportedly more than 160 people on board, with the majority being Indonesians. Malaysia had already lost 2 planes this year - one missing and one downed by rocket fire....we cannot afford a third one. Ya Allah, kami memohon perlindunganMu dari segala bencana. Berikanlah kekuatan kepada rakyat dan pemimpin kami untuk menghadapi bencana yang datang bertalu-talu ini.
For the country, the twin tragedies involving Malaysia Airlines' Flights MH 370 and MH 17, four months apart, must be the most significant for the country in decades. MH 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers/crew on board. A search for the missing plane is still ongoing in the remote waters of the Indian Ocean where the plane is assumed to have gone down. This assumption is based on complex number crunching from technical data that are available from satellite systems and the aircraft manufacturer.
On July 17, 2014, Flight MH 17, with 298 people on board, was shot down over war-torn Ukraine and to this day, it is still not known who the culprits are and whether this was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or something more sinister. All 298 people, of various nationalities, including Malaysians, perished.
In the sports arena, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, world's No. 1 badminton player, was embroiled in a doping scandal and he has been suspended. To this day, his fate is still unknown as he is waiting for BWF (Badminton World Federation) to convene a hearing. In the meantime, he has been replaced as World's No. 1 by China's Chen Long.
On the economic front, the Malaysian Ringgit's significant slide against the US Dollar has resulted in, among other things, more expensive imports. Malaysians are paying higher costs for food as most of our food is imported.
While lower oil prices resulted in the people paying less at the pump, the Government is bound to lose revenue as PETRONAS' earnings slide.
Mother Nature has also added to Malaysia's woes. The East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia is now inundated by serious flooding and more than 100,000 people have been displaced. It is the monsoon season and floods are the norm during the monsoon season but the flooding this year is the most serious in more than 30 years. The Prime Minister came under fire when he was pictured golfing with President Obama in Hawaii, where the latter was spending his Christmas holidays. When the flood became more serious the PM cut short his holidays and returned to Malaysia to personally direct relief efforts. In responding to critics, the PM defended his "golf diplomacy" saying it was difficult to turn down the invitation and plans had been made long before the floods began. He was also in touch daily with the DPM who was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing flood response operations. Whether or not this lapse in judgement would have an impact on his political career remains to be seen. It is akin to George Bush's perceived slow response to Hurricane Katrina which left a blot on his already tarnished legacy.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. Squash queen, Datuk Nicole David, made us proud to be Malaysians when she won the world title in 8 straight years, a hard-to-beat feat indeed!
Malaysia has returned to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after a 15-year absence with an absolute victory. Of the 192 votes cast at the UN General Assembly, 187 was in support of Malaysia's unopposed candidacy to represent the Asia Pacific region.
On the home front, mum's health took a turn for the worse. After a short bout of illness, she is no longer mobile and is wheelchair-bound. She cannot perform the basics of daily living and has to be cared for. I am grateful that my loyal maid (who has been with me for 20 years now) is still around to help as I would otherwise be helpless without her.
That about sums up the year that was....here's wishing everyone a happy new year and let us pray for peace and continued prosperity for our beloved Malaysia.
Postscript:
To add to the doom and gloom, it has just be reported that Air Asia Flight QZ8501, operated by Air Asia Indonesia, is now missing and SAR operations are ongoing. The plane was bound for Singapore from Surabaya and contact was lost while it was flying between Java and Kalimantan in reportedly bad weather. There are reportedly more than 160 people on board, with the majority being Indonesians. Malaysia had already lost 2 planes this year - one missing and one downed by rocket fire....we cannot afford a third one. Ya Allah, kami memohon perlindunganMu dari segala bencana. Berikanlah kekuatan kepada rakyat dan pemimpin kami untuk menghadapi bencana yang datang bertalu-talu ini.
