EDITORIAL: On Our Way to Become a City

THE signs are up one the main building of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council in USJ5 and the roads leading up to the council’s building has been lit up. Subang Jaya is on the way to become a City soon.

All eyes are on what being bestowed a city status means. Is it just a name change or can we expect better things to come? Perhaps we can expect MPSJ president Noraini Roslan who will become Subang Jaya’s first mayor to announce great things to come for us when we change our call sign from municipality to city.

What does a being a city mean to you? We would like to hear your idea of a city. Drop us a line at editor@sjecho.com.my.

We are now in the 5^th month of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. People are beginning to feel the fatigue. The number of people rushing to get the 5pm daily news updates from the Ministry of Health is slowly but surely dwindling. In fact, people are becoming careless when they leave home and enter the public domain. Some forget to don a face mask when they head for public and crowded places; many forget about the need for physical distancing and many are probably washing their hands less these days.

This “new normal” in the new normal is making the hair on the back of my neck stand. People have gone back to their normal ways pre-MCO and this is not good for everyone. Even I sometimes forget to grab my mask from the car when I alight from it. Have we become complacent and forgotten the unseen enemy in our midst?

On a more cheerful note; after months of being cooped up at home because of the lockdown, everyone deserves a holiday to unwind and let the bad vibes out. Some fresh air and a new horizon for a few days is a good way of restarting our lives after months of worry and anxiety staying home and watching the four corners of our house.

Domestic travel is the best and probably the safest options for now since our international borders are closed. It’s economical and it’s also a chance to visit places in the country which we had put on the back burners for years now.

We joined some friends recently for a short getaway to the highlands. It was a long overdue trip to let our hair down and relax after having spent the past few months kesini-kesana gathering news on the Movement Control Order, Controlled MCO and Recovery MCO to share with the community.

It’s always good to enjoy a getaway no matter how short it may be relaxing with friends and enjoying their good company. We stayed away from crowded tourist places and were contented to enjoy the quieter parts of our destination.

Back to the city, beginning August 1^st, everyone’s now required to don a face mask in public places, especially in crowded spaces. This is a good move to curb the spread of Covid-19 and to reduce the risk of catching the virus in the least expected places. We should take heed of this primarily for our own safety but also to avoid getting slapped with a RM1,000 compound for not doing so.

Stay Safe Everyone and Happy Merdeka!