2021 — What A Year It Has Been
2021 has definitely had its ups and downs. Besides the ongoing global pandemic, we have witnessed a fair amount of shocking and…
2021 has definitely had its ups and downs. Besides the ongoing global pandemic, we have witnessed a fair amount of shocking and unbelievable events that defined 2021, from political issues and sports to pop culture and climate issues. Let’s look back and reflect upon this eventful yet unpredictable year.
Covid-19
Without a doubt Covid-19 cannot be left out of the equation. This seemingly never ending pandemic has definitely taken a toll on everyone for the past 2 years. Fortunately, various pharmaceutical companies have been coming out with Covid vaccines and boosters for the public which has helped curb this issue bit by bit.
However, setting this aside, the Covid-19 pandemic is something that we all have to live with even with multiple vaccination breakthroughs. The development of the virus seems to be getting out of hand especially with multiple variants strains throughout these 2 years. In addition to these variants, there is also a surging amount of anti-vaxxers all over the world who are unwilling to get the vaccine based on their own conspiracies. Not to mention the concerning number of people who are not wearing their masks and adhering to physical distancing rules when out in public. All these factors beg the question: how long is the pandemic going to last? There is no certain answer, unfortunately, but we all can try our best to do our part amidst this unpreventable situation like following mask mandates and taking the required vaccine.
With close to about 80% of the population in Malaysia fully vaccinated, we are seeing things slowly going back to normal, with less restrictions when out in public and people returning to school and work. Despite this, we should not ignore the severity of the virus and its effects. It is always important to mask up and follow the rules that have been imposed to help with combating the pandemic.
Politics
Malaysia’s New Prime Minister
Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Malaysia’s 9th prime minister, was sworn in on August 21st 2021. This came to be when the former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned in the middle of August 2021 only serving just a little over a year, thus making him the shortest serving prime minister in Malaysia. As expected, controversy surrounded this issue as there was a lack of democracy when choosing the next prime minister. According to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Ismail Sabri Yaakob had garnered majority support from the lawmakers as a fitting candidate. However, the consequences of this seem to say otherwise, for there are practically no changes to this country besides enforcing the same exact thing we had before. Can the majority of the public ever put their trust in the Malaysian government with this much instability?
Myanmar Coup
Alongside Covid-19, the citizens of Myanmar went through their own battle as the military took charge of the country in a coup d’état, despite Ms Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party winning the election by a landslide. The military seized control on 1st of February 2021 and declared a year long state of emergency led by the military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing. Thousands have come out to protest against this takeover, including people from all over the world through social media to gain attention on this brutal coup. The undemocratic decision has left many upset and angry, including Miss Myanmar 2020’s Thuzar Wint Lwin. She donned a national costume with a scroll in her hand, revealed the message “Pray for Myanmar” and went on to win the national costume segment. Her simple yet powerful message has garnered even more social media attention and has helped raise the awareness of the people internationally.
Whilst the commander-in-chief promised a “free and fair” election after the state of emergency, many do not trust the military, as there have been several deaths of people who protested against his take over and restrictions imposed to prevent people from going against his regime. Some restrictions include gathering in certain cities and Internet suppression. Limiting these activities prevented the people from their freedom of protesting and communicating amongst each other. The number of deaths up to today is uncertain but it is estimated to be more than 1000 ever since the military took control. In spite of his brutal ways of stopping protestors from demonstrating, many have not backed down and are still fighting for democracy.
Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
Myanmar was not the only country dealing with its own governmental crisis. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan made headlines all across different social media platforms and news outlets, signifying one of the most defining and tragic moments of 2021. The already shaky situation had escalated when President Joe Biden announced the departure of the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan by September of 2021. With close to full withdrawal of the military by the end of July 2021, the citizens of Afghanistan were left to fend for themselves as the Taliban started their brutal and threatening takeover. Countless videos of people trying to escape Afghanistan were splayed all over the news. Civilians were seen struggling under the ruling of the Taliban as violence started to spread throughout the territory. Advancement of women’s rights in Afghanistan were reversed under the Taliban as they planned to enforce outdated rules, imposing strict restrictions on women. The never ending conflict has been going on for years, with what seems to be little to no chance of seeing the country going back to what it was before.
2021 United States Capitol Riots
To start us off with the year of 2021, the United States led us with a violent yet memorable riot at the Capitol where President Joe Biden was being certified by the Senate and officially confirming his win of the 2020 election. The insurrection failed as rioters were unable to stop Joe Biden from becoming the 46th United States President. The attack was mostly attended by Republicans and Trump supporters who accused Biden of election fraud and miscounting of votes in the general elections.
Trump supporters unleashed their frustrations by storming a government building full of security while holding white supremacy flags and having their way no matter what. This ended up backfiring as many of those rioters were arrested and are still being detained till this day. Donald Trump also faced his second impeachment for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol. Consequently Trump was banned from multiple social media platforms including Twitter in order to prevent incitement of violence from the former president.
Sports
2021 Tokyo Olympics Games
After a year-long delay, the Tokyo Olympics Games finally kicked into action in the summer of 2021. Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Olympic Committee still held the event in the capital of Japan. Athletes from all over the world could finally show off their hard work and make their country proud after an exhausting and unpredictable year. Although the crowds were not there to liven up the atmosphere as before, the spirit of the athletes was enough to make the stadium feel alive.
Malaysia sent some incredible athletes to represent the country at the Tokyo Olympics Games. Our athletes have trained hard and endured many obstacles along the way. Great improvements have been shown such as Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, who is now an Olympic bronze and silver medalist for individual keirin. Another medal was also achieved in the Tokyo Games, thanks to the badminton duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who won the country’s long-awaited first medal during their playoff match with Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
Climate Change
COP26
Climate change has always been a pressing issue, especially over these past few years. This is why it is so important for countries to gather and discuss ways to help improve the situation every year. The COP (Conference of the Parties) is an annual conference where countries have a formal negotiating session regarding advancement in their climate commitments and actions. Stakeholders from around the world are also involved and suggest on how they can tackle the climate crisis.
COP26, which took place in late October of 2021, was probably the most important one yet as the climate situation now seems to be at its most critical state. The UN Secretary-General even called the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a “code red of humanity”. This highlighted the severity of this issue especially with several devastating incidents that were caused by climate change such as wildfires, droughts and the rising sea level. Now is the time where countries really need to take this issue seriously as it has never been this severe before. Hopefully COP26 and its resolutions such as its Glasgow Climate Pact (alongside its shortfalls) shall remain a significant reminder for all of us to be aware of our actions that may cause harm to the environment and initiate better habits and plans to help combat climate change.
Pop Culture
Astroworld Tragedy
As we neared the end of 2021, another tragic and fatal incident happened in the United States at the 2021 Astroworld Festival. Singer and rapper Travis Scott was condemned all over social media on the day of the incident. The entire festival venue was essentially packed with little to no space for movement. The venue exceeded the capacity of people; however this did not stop Scott from continuing on with his performance. In spite of the countless cries for help from the spectators, the event organisers and crew failed to disperse the crowd and resolve the situation before it got out of hand. Consequently, 10 people passed away from the suffocation of the crowd at the venue it was being held at. All the victims were under the age of 30 and were tragically crushed to death by the overbearing crowd. The incident was regarded as the world’s worst crowd-crushing tragedies, and serves as a reminder to us all to never repeat the same mistake again in future.
#FreeBritney
We all know and love the iconic early 2000s pop sensation Britney Spears. From her Mickey Mouse Club days to her unforgettable “Hit Me Baby One More Time” music video, Ms Spears had definitely brought her A-game since day 1. However, all that glitz and glamour on the surface faded away as the truth of Britney’s conservatorship, dating back to 2008, was uncovered. There had never been a day Britney ever had full control of her life throughout her entire career. Her major conservatorship began when she had her breakdown following several events in her personal life, resulting in multiple hospitalizations and rehab sessions. Ever since then, her father Jamie Spears had been taking charge of her life, up until the court ruled in favour of the termination of the conservatorship. Britney was bound by this arrangement before the termination. It has caused severe damage to her mental health as she was unable to make her own financial and personal decisions. Besides her loyal fans supporting her in the famous #FreeBritney movement, Spears had also gained support from many different celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus, who had all shown their condemnation toward the conservatorship. Now that Britney is finally free from the grasp of her father, she is finally stepping out into the light and is able to make her own decisions without anyone’s authority.
Of course, this list can only account for a fraction of the events that actually took place in 2021. To truly deliberate on the past year would require great patience and mindfulness; however, for us to continue to grow and prosper in 2022, this reflection is necessary for us all to consider.
With that said, may everyone have a great year ahead!
Written by: Anne Rose. Edited by: Siow Chien Wen.