COMMENT It would be perfectly understandable if any Malaysian were to say that 2014 has been a truly forgettable year. The scars that this small nation of 30 million had been inflicted in a single calendar year is unlike any other calendar year we had experienced in recent memory.
 
As we herald the New Year, we are still left picking up the pieces from 2014 disasters - flood victims slowly rebuilding their lives which were wrecked by Malaysia’s worst inundation in 30 years, bodies being recovered from the sea following an AirAsia plane that crashed into the sea on Sunday, and of course, all the unanswered questions about MH370 still lingering in many Malaysians’ minds.
 
If politics didn’t grip everyone in 2013 as we went through the most closely fought general election in our history, tragedies definitely seemed to have gripped everyone last year. 2014 was the year in which we stared down at the more sombre reality beyond politics - that our lives are fragile, and that we are not so fool proof to nature’s unpredictability as we had always made it out to be.
 
One way or another, everyone was affected by these tragedies. These were tragedies we could relate to, it could have been us, or our loved ones. Chances are there are many who would like to close the 2014 chapter as soon as possible and move on to the new year with renewed hopes.
 
But what’s next for Malaysia? What has to change? The more we try to forget 2014, the more likely we will make the same mistakes. And next time, we might end up paying a heavier price than we already have.
 
The buck does not only stop with politicians and the government. Changing politicians won’t stop indiscriminate logging, it won’t stop the changing climates, it will not make our environment better, and it won’t make aviation safer.
 
It is the people, in our own small way, who must step up to the plate. We should stop clogging the drains, we should stop thinking that it’s okay to throw rubbish into the river because millions of others have done it before us, we should be more vigilant on how our roads are built, how our irrigation is done, and constantly keep the people in check.
 
More questions are being asked of the aviation industry. Incidents such as planes overshooting a runway and forced to make a turn back no longer goes under the radar. Suddenly, everyone is tracking flights and reading up on aviation safety. And we should ask questions that would contribute to safer travel.
 
Hold gov’t accountable        
 
All this comes back to us - it is rather pointless to blame the government alone, as it is a body formed by millions of civil servants, who are also laypersons. Their inability to see through their jobs properly is also a blot on our inability to push them, and hold them accountable.
 
At the end of the day, it is this domino effect that we saw happening during the MH370 and the floods crisis. When we give up on the civil servants and their ability to solve our problems, and when we paint the civil service with the same brush, the same men and women will be found wanting when asked to respond to massive crisis situations.
 
More than 200,000 people were displaced due to the floods and yet we did not find a reason to declare an emergency. There are still questions to be answered over MH370 and yet there has been no apology over how the crisis was handled.
 
We need to stop waiting for elections to change those in power. We need to be more vocal, more firm, more resounding, like the Eminent 25, in ensuring that the change is effected today.
 
Our shortcomings had been stripped bare for the entire world to see in 2014. It was painful but a necessary process. But what do we make of it?
 
The issue is no longer about whether Pakatan Rakyat or BN leads the country. Change must not be relegated to that hot seat in Putrajaya. Change has to come from every layer of the society. We have to start from the bottom up.
 
In 2015, we can change the way we behave as Malaysians. Maybe we can take care of this nation better. Maybe we can plant more trees. Maybe we could be even more friendly. We need to start taking collective responsibility instead to pointing fingers at a select group of people. Antagonising anyone would not help us move forward as a nation.
 
That is why - we need to remember everything that has happened in 2014, and not forget it. It might be a forgettable year, but that is not to say we ought not to remember it. Maybe, we can all think twice of the repercussions of even the smallest gestures and actions in our daily lives. If we can’t change the way we do things, we can’t expect others to do the same.
 
Instead of hoping 2015 to be a better year, we could infuse some positive energy and ensure it will turn out to be a good year for Malaysians. We can start by believing in ourselves, as a nation, together.
 
 
RAM ANAND is a member of Team Malaysiakini.