Be Strong, Be Fearless
This issue promises to be an exciting read as we feature three generations of strong, independent women in our cover story. Descendants from our founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman, his fighting spirit lives on in Tunku Khadijah, Sharifah Menyalara Hussein and Natasha Idris (see page 166). Recently, Lara together with IDEAS spearheaded an ambitious project, an anthology on Tunku, and invited contributors who are people from all walks of life and varying ages, to give their take on Tunku’s beloved quotes—sharing what it means to them. Looking at the people involved in this project (a labour of love, really) one can see how his words still resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds today. At the Dialog book launch, Tricia Yeoh the COO of IDEAS said that “democracy is messy and challenging. You must be willing to go through the messy period first before things change. Success can only happen if we rely on each
other’s strengths.” Meanwhile, comedian Harith Iskander likens it to working on a garden—cultivating and growing individuals. Indeed, I encourage everyone, if you’re a proud and staunch Malaysian, to pick up this book and let the passionate and patriotic words of our countrymen stir up the fire in your belly, and to fight for a Malaysia that is fair, just, and promotes equality for all. Furthermore, Tunku once said this famous line: “We are all Malaysians which is the bond that unites us.” Don’t you agree? October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, reminding us to do our yearly mammogram to scan for signs of this dreaded disease. Despite her best efforts to take care of herself by eating wholesome foods and supplements, my mother-in-law succumbed to breast cancer when she was 44. While I cannot begin to understand the depth of her pain and suffering, I saw how it was for my husband, who was still 22 at the time, and had to take lots of unpaid leave in order to care for her. It was a difficult time; not only for the one fighting breast cancer but also for those taking care of them—needing to be strong in the face of adversity. Yet many don’t realise that it takes a toll on caregivers too. This is why we decided to highlight the issue in Staying Abreast of the Situation (page 178). We’d like to thank those who agreed to share their intimate story with us. We reached out to a number of people but most of them turned us down, not wanting to recall the trauma they have undergone. So, thank you, Aliza and Hiba, Redza and Fara as well as Dr Azura for your personal accounts, which I hope will serve to enlighten and encourage others who are fighting the same battle.