PETALING JAYA: As we usher in the Year of the Tiger, it is hoped that the "Lucky Tiger" will bring greater stability and prosperity for the country, says Tan Sri T.C. Goh.
The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) president said in an annual poll last year, Malaysians selected the Chinese character "pan" (盼), which means "“to hope for" as the word of the year and this fully reflected Malaysians' ardent hope for things to improve, in all aspects, this year.
"This year, after sending off the hard-working and stoic Ox, we hope with the ushering in of the Tiger, which embodies the characteristics of strength and courage, would dispel all the sadness and misfortunes which we experienced last year, and bring us a promising year," he said in his 2022 Chinese New Year message on Saturday (Jan 29).
Goh added that in the past two years, despite the entire world being badly devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, medical experts and epidemiologists throughout the world did not give up hope, they even united to fight it.
"Countries throughout the world, Malaysia included, have been racing against time to produce vaccines to fight the pandemic.
"Since rolling out the national Covid-19 vaccination programme, Malaysia has now gone for the booster shot, and will soon be allowing children under the age of 11 to get vaccinated.
"But, with the virus continuing to mutate and new variants emerging, we will continue to come under the threat of the pandemic, and we have no choice but to co-exist with the virus," he said.
The Chinese community will be celebrating Chinese New Year on Feb 1.
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