LET’S RESOLVE TOWIN

MALAYSIANS have been struggling for more than a year now to manage the Covid-19 pandemic, with some success. Countries have reacted in different ways, depending on their perceptions and responses to how to mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic on their people.

While facts and science have been helpful to a certain extent, further measures to fight the virus have been thwarted by human hesitancy, lack of trust and general apathy and ignorance among people.

Sadly, the use of human resolve or the application of one’s creative emotional energy to motivate us into further action has not been that effective.

It is important to realise that we have in us the full capability to utilise the power of human resolve to get us to act with enthusiasm and achieve our objectives against all odds, as proven throughout history.

Winston Churchill, in his “Blood, Sweat and Tears” speech, urged British soldiers to go and fight the Nazis.

Mao Zedong urged the Chinese to join him in his Long March for the victory of communism.

Mahatma Gandhi led his followers in his ahimsa or non-violent marches.

In hindsight, it is obvious that human resolve has been the arbiter of change in modern times.

Today, with the surging number of Covid-19 cases, governments and their people are adopting human resolve measures more and more to institute change and garner support from the people.

Malaysians are no stranger to the practise of human resolve in efforts to survive hardships and rebuild lives.

We struggled during the Emergency to fight the communist insurrection from 1948 to 1960 and after the race riots of May 13, 1969.

Presently, we are once more called to play our part by coming together and working with the government to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on the people and the country.

Looking at how human resolve has helped motivate people and governments around the world to go far beyond their normal boundaries amid the Covid-19 pandemic,

consider the following two events as supreme examples.

One, the journey to space and back by Richard Branson on July 11 in the United States, and two, the Summer Olympics about to take place in Tokyo from July 23.

The first event shows the importance of representing to people the dream of going “where no man has gone before”, boosting our hopes and beliefs that the impossible — exploring space — is always within grasp.

The second event, which will begin soon, is about the creative ability of humans — represented by sports — to excel in all that we want to achieve.

Demi Malaysia. Dear Malaysians participating in the Tokyo Olympics, resolve to win!

Let’s celebrate this. Knowing that Covid-19 is still around, we should remember what national laureate Usman Awang, also known as Tongkat Warrant, once said: “Aku mahu hidup seribu tahun lagi.”

This is in essence the power of human resolve.

DR AZHARI-KARIM

Former Malaysian ambassador, Kuala Lumpur