2022: The Dawn of Recovery
32/365: It isn’t too late to look back and reflect on what 2022 had to offer. When Covid hit, many of us youngins had the prime years of…
32/365: It isn’t too late to look back and reflect on what 2022 had to offer. When Covid hit, many of us youngins had the prime years of our lives robbed right in front of us. Many ‘pandemic babies’ were born not knowing there was this big, beautiful world beyond the four walls of their homes. Many lost their steady income jobs, many plunged to the ground before their career even took off, many hit rock bottom before having an existential crisis and many more lost their purpose in life.
But 2022 was the dawn of recovery. If there was a theme to describe 2022, it would be “normalcy” — something most of us longed for. Lockdown restrictions were lifted, borders opened up, businesses started booming, people started travelling, students returned to school and life went back to normal.
Although things were going back to the way it was, 2022 was not all rainbows and sunshines. It had its highs and lows. Here is a look back at the highlights of the year of normalcy — from the general elections to the World Cup, the Russia-Ukraine war to Kanye being cancelled; the year was anything but mundane!
Malaysia’s 15th General Elections
No doubt one of the most life-changing and significant events for us Malaysians in 2022 would have to be the 15th General Elections (GE-15). With all the controversies and scandals that had happened in the last couple of general elections, many Malaysians have lost hope on the political state of the country. This would also be the very first election where the youths had the opportunity to cast their votes after UNDI 18 was implemented. By reducing the minimum voting age, there was certainly a rise in the number of voters as a new age group were given the chance to vote for their government, allowing them the choice to determine their future as it is theirs. We also witnessed the first ever hung parliament in this general election. As this is the first time this has ever happened, many Malaysians were left confused and lost, not knowing the future state of the country. However, after days of deliberation, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong declared Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia. The Prime Minister has promised to make “Malaysia for all Malaysians” and to fight corruption which is a major issue in Malaysia’s politics.
Russia-Ukraine War
The Russia-Ukraine War which is unfortunately still ongoing made headlines in 2022. The war started on 24th February 2022 and sadly does not seem to end anytime soon. Russian forces were seen attacking major cities in Ukraine which included Berdyansk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Sumy, and the capital Kyiv. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine dates back to 2013 after the Euromaidan protests in November of 2013. Due to the protests, Russia annexed Crimea and Sevastopol from Ukraine in March of 2014. Unfortunately this ongoing war has caused many to fear for the safety of their lives and are forced to flee their country. The war also cost many unnecessary deaths due to deadly battles between the two conflicting countries.
How does the war affect everyone?
Although the war on surface level seems to only affect these two conflicting countries, it actually has a very big impact around the globe. For instance, the disruption on the flow of goods, increasing inflation rate, shortage of products and not to mention food shortages that are happening all over the world. All this could significantly affect each and everyone of us, especially those who are already struggling financially. This war has had a huge impact on the global supply chain mainly caused by the Russian invasion which obstructed critical logistics and trade route operations. The result of this invasion has caused essential food resources like wheat to be threatened. As Russia and Ukraine account for about a third of the world’s wheat and a quarter of barley production, many low income countries are not able to as much of these major food supplies due to the ongoing war. Beside that, these two countries produce a huge percentage of sunflower oil-75%, which is a common household item. Global famine is put at risk due to the shortages of these crucial food supplies.
United Kingdom’s Doomed Politics
The resignation of UK’s previous prime minister Boris Johnson comes as a shock for many of the citizens of the United Kingdom. The reason behind this was however not as surprising as Johnson had not always been known to make the best decisions for his country such as taking Britain out of the European Union and his lack of responsibility in handling the Covid-19 crisis. These and many other scandals that he was involved in had led to his downfall forcing him to resign. In only two months, the country has had three prime ministers. Not to mention the death of Britain’s longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth ll. The United Kingdom went through quite a few challenges in terms of its politics and economy.
After the resignation of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss was then appointed as Prime minister. However she herself had her own downfall when she immediately cut off taxes which resulted in the plummeting of the British Pound. Truss only lasted as Britain’s Prime Minister for only forty-five days which made her the shortest serving Prime Minister.
After what seems like a never ending loop, Rishi Sunak, a 42 years old British Indian man who had won the majority of the Conservative party.This makes him the first ever British Asian to hold office and also the first Prime Minister to be appointed by King Charles III. He is also the youngest Prime Minister in Britain in the last 210 years. The UK has been facing one of its biggest economical crisis in recent years and Sunak has planned to solve inflation, grow the country’s economy and reduce its debts. With the rising cost of living in the UK, Sunak has limited time to gain the people’s trust as the next general election is expected to be held in the autumn of 2024.
Kanye West’s Anti-Semitism Comments
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has seemed to disappear from the spotlight ever since his anti-semitic remarks. West openly tweeted that he wants to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.”, which is an extremely hateful tweet towards the Jews. Since then twitter has suspended his account for spewing hatred towards a marginalised group. Although the artist had apologised for his hateful remarks towards the Jews, his apology was less than convincing as he had made many other derogatory comments towards Jewish people over the years. Many companies have stopped associating with the artist ever since then including his agency Creative Artists Agency which represents his concert tours. Other well-known brands such as Balenciaga and Adidas have dropped the rapper due to his anti-semitism remarks.
The World Cup
One of the most anticipated sporting events in the world which is held every four years was held in Qatar on November 20, 2022. People around the world have been looking forward to this as football is a well loved sport around the world. However,this seems to be one of the most controversial World Cup ever as many have claimed that Qatar is not suited to host the event due to many claims of human rights violation. Besides that, issues concerning same-sex relationships were also brought up as it is illegal to be in one in Qatar. Consumption of alcohol in the stadiums is also banned. Many football fans were uproared by the rules imposed as they are not allowed to do their “tradition” of drinking beer while watching the game. Regardless of all the controversies, the 2022 World Cup is one of the most memorable ones yet with many firsts such as female referees are now able to referee a men’s world cup.
These are only some of the events that have taken place in 2022. Now that 2023 is here, we should reflect on the past — all the good, the bad and everything else in between. As we’re moving towards a more ‘normal’ life this could be the perfect time for us to set new goals and try out something new after what seems like years of being locked down in the confinements of our own home.
[Written by: Anne Rose & Balvin Dhaliwal. Edited by: Balvin Dhaliwal]