Caring — the 1Malaysia way of doing it

MOHAMED is an ex-staff member; a gem of a person who earned the respect and warm affection of all his colleagues.

On Dec 12, Mohamed was admitted to hospital in a coma after a bad attack of asthma.

When we, his ex-colleagues were informed about his condition we were gripped with sadness.

We were also angry that this had to happen and wept together with his wife.

Our anger turned into positive energy in an outpouring of financial support and otherwise for his wife and four children, the eldest of whom is only 12.

After being told the crushing news that doctors may switch off the machines on Dec 12, we asked ourselves, “Must things be so bleak? Is there no hope at all?”

Everyone prayed endlessly to the God of our respective faiths for him and his young family. We prayed for his wife (who went on unpaid leave to be with him) to have strength and encouraged her endlessly in person or by SMS “Ada Tuhan, ada harapan” and that she was not alone.

For Mohamed, we could only whisper in his ears that many people loved him, to be strong, to concentrate on getting well and going home. We were confident of his full recovery.

Thank God, our prayers were answered. After waking up from the coma, there were complications but after more than a month of oscillating between the ICU and High Dependency ward, Mohamed is now getting better and back in a normal ward, although he still struggles to talk.

What was most heartwarming to me was the swift and generous response of all staff.

Ours is a small office of 11 staff comprising a good mix of Indians, Malays and Chinese of diverse faiths. I wish for all Malaysians to feel the same happiness that we and his family are feeling now.

We see Mohamed, our ex-colleague, as a human being and a fellow wonderful Malaysian – period.

For the sake of unity and peace, and for the future of this beloved nation, I feel a moral imperative to write this letter.

I can only hope and pray that we learn to care for each other and coexist without problems and not play to the gallery for divisive and bruising political expediency.