By : Aidalina Mahili
When we speak of Sabah, first thing that comes to mind is its pristine beaches and the majestic Kinabalu. Sabah, as we have always known it, is a famous tourism wish list for many, locally and internationally. Some would save up just to visit Sabah. White-sand beaches, gleaming water and to be greeted by the spectacular view of Mount Kinabalu; it is understandable why this state is one of the most sought-after travel destinations by nature enthusiasts and tourists. Sabah is one of a few places that have city, islands and highlands in one place.
In addition to its out-of-a-postcard scenic views, Sabah is a home of different ethnics, representing the best ever in our country. The warmth of its dwellers is vouched by many that it has become the main reason why tourists vow to come back, suffice to say they were smitten.
But 2020 has a totally different thing set out for Sabah. Spreading fast across the globe, COVID19 left us with unforeseen circumstances, redefining the year with changed lifestyles. In March, we marched forward in combatting COVID19 by introducing MCO and its consecutive versions. Malaysians overall, despite aversive ones have shown undivided commitment towards flattening the curve by adapting to the new norms. As positives cased started to rise, Sabah was able to stay off the notorious charts with a low-figure reported cases, in fact as low 0 to 6 per week.
We took all the precautionary measures like imposition of travel restrictions, bans in mass gatherings, and ramp up on our testing capability. The state government has complemented the efforts by the federal government to curb the spread of the virus and assured the public that there will be sufficient supply of essential goods. All is done seamlessly with the rate of infections and panic buying under control.
On July 16, Sabah was left with only four active cases, at 380 cumulative cases but alas, the victory was short-lived or rather prematurely claimed.
Perhaps we were tad complacent, it did not dawn on us that we would soon make it to the infamous statistics as soon as politics matter started barging in. Sabah elections came into the picture when one party claimed they had the number and left another with a difficult choice, either to give in or opted for a dissolution. The latter happened. On August 9th, it was announced that the 2020 Sabah State Election would be held. That was when everything came spiralling down.
At this rate, to pinpoint and blame a single entity is impossible. People can always say Sabah election is the only cause of spike in case. But, should they anticipate at their respective role what to expect if an election took place? After taking in the pride for the stagnant number of new cases, Sabah was fast heading for the pit with the highest infections rate from a new cluster in Lahad Datu. Newer cases passing the 300 mark on Sept 11 indicated the highest peak within a stretch of three months.
Everything we faced today is not a mistake done by one single entity. If we say Sabah Election is the cause, it is a process that had gone through series of discussions, joint meeting, decision making process, then stages of approvals! A decision done collectively and of course the responsibility is shared. If you pinpoint to only politicians, the whole campaign process involved publics and civilians. Thus, it is never a job of a single entity. It was simply a mass violation of SOPs done rampantly. And the whole process was allowed! Undoubtedly, a series of sanctions, discussion and approvals had surely involved more than one party. So, was this a result of poor judgment? Or lack of risk assessment? Or was somebody’s opinion being muzzled? For the record, Sabahans had adapted the new norms and economics sectors opened and swiftly catching up, and there was no surge of case, this is the testament that adherence to SOPs was practiced accordingly.
It breaks our hearts that the people who were not involved in this agenda became the collateral damage. Months of hard works were pointless. Those were the ones who obediently observed the SOPs yet they had to pay the price for something they didn’t do. If you think it’s not bad, there are people literally scavenging for food everyday like Uncle Ladja, and IMHO, urban poverty is much worse than those in rural areas where they at least still have access to plants and jungle produce. Every day we would get messages about people pleading for food, just to meet their basic necessities.
Everyone acquits themselves creditably, ensuring their roles to fully function in this pandemic. Kita jaga kita is upheld with honour. If there is a glitch, it must due to poor performance by an individual but rest assured, the whole system is working and playing out their role. We have a solid team to hang on to.
Year 2020 is not about what we desire, but to appreciate what we have. We have fought this battle and we will do it again without hesitation. Sabahans, chin up, we shall continue to stand stall with the spirit like the majestic Kinabalu and fight this invisible force. We have always been the resilient lot, we may fall seven times but we get up eight. March on.
** The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of M-Update
