EDITORIAL: OUR RESILIENCE IS THE KEY TO OUR SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS IN THE NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

THE weeks before the New Year brought about unprecedented flooding in major parts of the country. Selangor itself was hard hit with many areas like Sri Muda and Hulu Langat the hardest hit by floods that left destruction in its path. Closer to home, Subang Jaya per se was left untouched but the surrounding villages like Kampung Tengah, Kampung Sri Aman and Kampung Bukit Lanchung were badly affected.

Floodwaters spilled into homes, “drowned” vehicles and destroyed everything in its path; leaving behind mud and waste water that would take weeks to clean up and restore to its pristine state.

The year 2021 was a major milestone for many of us. It was the year when the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged across the country (and all over the world) keeping us all locked in our homes as we tried our very best to contain the spread of the deadly virus which has claimed many lives.

It’s not been an easy year for all of us. But what was enlightening was how our community rallied together to support one another to brave the storm. True to the tagline #SubangJayaKitaPunya and #KitaJagaKita, we pooled our resources and energy together to ensure no one got left behind especially the marginalized communities living with us.

Throughout 2021 pandemic months, no one got left behind and no one went hungry even for a night. With continuous efforts that seemed to go on autopilot, food aid and help came in lorry loads as volunteers worked day and night to distribute the much needed aid to the less fortunate.

This energy and team spirit we have in Subang Jaya was tested again when the floods hit our neighbouring villages on Dec 18 2021. Humanitarian efforts in Subang Jaya kick-started automatically like a well-oiled wheel to help the stranded; the evacuated; and finally those who were badly affected by the floods. Efforts are ongoing to help clean up the mess left behind in the aftermath of the floods with droves of volunteers coming in daily to help clean up a stranger’s home because they care.

I am proud to be a part of the Subang Jaya community. The numerous acid tests that we have gone through shows we have our community in our hearts and there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do if we are able to do it. What’s our secret formula? It’s simple – Together We Fight to Keep our Community Safe and Sound because They are Our Family too.

When we first started SJ ECHO back in 2007, the community was less integrated. We were everywhere but we were also nowhere. It was every man for himself and residents associations or Rukun Tetangga groups were looking inward with their own local challenges to tackle. Over the years, this has changed. New community leaders have emerged (and new blood will continue to appear) and new challenges have steered us to be a more integrated community today. Working together, we learned, makes better progress and derives better rewards. No Man is an Island.

The New Year promises to be a better year for everyone. We continue to keep our chins up as we make our way into the first few days of 2022. We are optimistic that the year will be better than the last; and we are enthusiastic in embracing it.

We are not out of the woods yet with the pandemic. We still have to be cautious to avoid getting infected but overall, we know this is something we have to live with.

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a great month ahead. Stay Safe and Stay Strong.

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