On this Hari Raya Aidilfritri, let Malaysians resolve to preserve, protect and defend the Malaysian Constitution as the basis to take the country to greater heights
The Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year is celebrated under unprecedented conditions, where there is no “balik kampong”, the Prime Minister in quarantine and Malaysians have to learn to live with the Covid-19 virus with new norms like social distancing and movement controls.
The Covid-19 pandemic knows no distinctions, whether race, religion, colour or nationality.
All the great religions of the world are represented in the world’s top 20 countries in terms of cumulative total of Covid-19 confirmed cases, viz:
| Country | No. of cases | Deaths | |
| 1. | USA | 1,644,635 | 97,635 |
| 2. | Brazil | 330,890 | 21,048 |
| 3. | Russia | 326,448 | 3,249 |
| 4. | Spain | 281,904 | 28,628 |
| 5. | United Kingdom | 254,195 | 36,393 |
| 6. | Italy | 228,658 | 32,616 |
| 7. | France | 182,219 | 28,289 |
| 8. | Germany | 179,713 | 8,352 |
| 9. | Turkey | 154,500 | 4,276 |
| 10. | Iran | 131,652 | 7,300 |
| 11. | India | 124,794 | 3,726 |
| 12. | Peru | 111,698 | 3,244 |
| 13. | China | 82,971 | 4,634 |
| 14. | Canada | 82,420 | 6,245 |
| 15. | Saudi Arabia | 67,719 | 364 |
| 16. | Chile | 61,857 | 630 |
| 17. | Mexico | 59,567 | 6,510 |
| 18. | Belgium | 56,511 | 9,212 |
| 19. | Pakistan | 50,694 | 1,067 |
| 20. | Netherlands | 44,888 | 5,788 |
Malaysians are thankful that we have moved out of this category, as we were ranked No. l8 on March 18 when the MCO was imposed but we are now in the 56th position with 7,137 cases and 115 deaths.
The daily increase of Covid-19 infections have been in double-digit figures for the past 17 days and I am looking forward to the day when there is no daily increase of Covid-19 cases and no Covid-19 death.
As we celebrate this Muslim festivity in muted conditions, let us begin to learn the new norms we have to live in a coronavirus world, which may take two to five years until an effective vaccine is developed and widely available.
But while we learn the new norms in a coronavirus world, let us not forget the old verities, and a very important one is for all Malaysians to resolve to preserve, protect and defend the Malaysian Constitution as the basis to take the country to greater heights!
Let us also resolve not to permit the Covid-19 pandemic to break the Malaysian spirit or nation or to put the clock back to allow abuses of power, rampant corruption, revival of kleptocracy or widespread violation of human rights.
Malaysians must also not forget the eternal truths about integrity, justice , love, compassion and mercy.
Malaysians must continue to celebrate that the diverse races, religions and regions which have come together to build a new Malaysian nation and civilization should, as the founding Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, had said “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world” on the day this nation was founded 63 years ago.
As the Yang di Pertuan Agong said in his Royal Address to Parliament in Monday, let us set forth, whatever the challenges and vicissitudes before us, to take Malaysia to greater heights.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf, Zahir dan Batin.