Separated yet still connected

ON Thursday, we will celebrate Malaysia Day, the day on which, 58 years ago, the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, North Borneo (as Sabah was then called) and Singapore came together to form the Federation of Malaysia.

It will be an especially poignant Malaysia Day, the second we’re marking during a pandemic. The fact that the South China Sea separates Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak has been an especially difficult thing to deal with at this time.

Even with movement controls in place, Malaysians living in the peninsula could, in an emergency, get permission to travel across state borders to attend to it. And when border controls for some states were lifted, it became even easier.

But for those whose families are divided by the South China Sea, it has been a very trying 19 months as travel between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak is beset by many challenges.

Apart from the usual cost of having to fly to visit family, the pandemic has limited the number of flights between the two areas. And then there is the requirement of swab tests for every family member – it can be pretty costly even for a small family of four.

But the ties that have been grown since Sabah and Sarawak helped form Malaysia – annual reminder: they didn’t join the federation, they helped to form it – have stood the test of these trying times with a little help from technology.

Family ties and friendships have been maintained, and even thrived, through video calls and online meetings.

Thanks to these virtual get-togethers, it has been a case of “Jauh di mata, dekat di hati” (out of sight, but close in the heart).

The good news is the number of people who have been vaccinated is increasing rapidly. About 90% of the adult population in Malaysia have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine while 71.3% are fully vaccinated.

So while we still have to bear with the expenses of flying over a sea to see family members, we can at least look forward to more flights and less red tape when travelling between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak once the travel restrictions are lifted. Even if we have to remain masked and stay that 1m apart until we’ve finished quarantining, at least we won’t have a sea between us.

Happy Malaysia Day, everyone!